The Effect Of Social Comparison On Outcome Evaluation

Humans have a drive to evaluate themselves by examining their abilities and outcomes in comparison to others. It is a common phenomenon in our society. Social comparison provides information for individual self-perception, self-perceived not only from the absolute property of our perception of ourselves, but also from compare ourselves to the others. In fact, when we want to recognize our own appearance, intelligence, and interpersonal attraction, objective, non-social norm is clearly of no use. At this point, only by comparison with other person to construct self-consciousness. When we confront with the same outcome, people's perceptions and satisfactions are very different experience. Concerned about the relative level, social psychologists claimed that the impact of identical stimulus may vary if situation changes. Similarly, the choice of comparison target of social comparison is a key factor in processing of the outcome. The choice of comparison target determine the direction of social comparison is upward or downward social comparison, If there are existence of certain differences on population characteristics between comparing target and individual, the comparison be classified into inter-groups comparison. Figure out how the comparison target affects the cognitive process of outcome assess, it has important significance for individual and society. For example, by selecting appropriate comparison target to regulate the negative effects of comparison. Psychologists revealed that one's emotion experience, whose quality or intensity is influenced not only by its own attributes, but also by the psychological closeness and social comparison direction. The present three studies focus on social comparison target and investigate the outcome processing in the different social comparison target in three aspects as follows.In study 1, we try to explore the electrophysiological correlates of outcome processing in the different social comparison target (intra-gender and inter-gender) on outcome processing" and its neural mechanism.In study 2, we further test the impact of group status on outcome processing and its neural mechanism.In study 3, we investigate the impact of social class on outcome processing and its neural mechanism.In study 1:event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded to explore the electrophysiological correlates of outcome processing in the social comparison context when subjects performed a number estimation task with intra-gender and inter-gender comparison target. Two social comparison outcome categories are mainly prepared (Self:right, Other:wrong; Self:wrong, Other: right).In study 2:Subjects performed a size estimation task with intra-gender and inter-gender comparison target. Besides, the male subject is of advantaged position of the test; the female subject is of disadvantaged Position of the test. Two social comparison outcome categories were mainly prepared (self:right, other:wrong; self:wrong, other:right).In study3:The experimental paradigm is similar with study 1, except that the comparison targets are divided into high-class and low-class.In study 1, results showed that:the FRN wave elicited by in-group social comparison outcome is larger than out-group social comparison outcome in upward comparison (other was right and self was wrong), no matter what gender the subjects are. But in downward comparison (other was wrong and self was right), the FRN waves evoked by in-group and out-group social comparison outcome evaluation have no difference. These results suggest that group membership only affect the upward social comparison outcome, it has no effects on downward comparison outcome.In study 2, results showed that:in the process of upward social comparison outcome, when male subjects confront with upward social comparison outcome, comparison with the intra-gender target evokes more positive ERP component (P300) than the inter-gender target. Male subjects confront with downward social comparison outcome, comparison with the inter-gender target evoke more negative ERP component (FRN) than the intra-gender target. No matter what direction of the comparison outcome, there is no difference between intra-gender target and inter-gender target comparison.In study 3, results showed that:in the process of upward social comparison outcome, comparison with the low-class target evokes more negative ERP component (N430-580) than the high-class target. In the process of downward social comparison outcome, there is no difference between high-class target and low-class target comparison.