ERIC Number: EJ986096
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Nov
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0033-2909
EISSN: N/A
The Competition-Performance Relation: A Meta-Analytic Review and Test of the Opposing Processes Model of Competition and Performance
Murayama, Kou; Elliot, Andrew J.
Psychological Bulletin, v138 n6 p1035-1070 Nov 2012
What is the relation between competition and performance? The present research addresses this important multidisciplinary question by conducting a meta-analysis of existing empirical work and by proposing a new conceptual model--the opposing processes model of competition and performance. This model was tested by conducting an additional meta-analysis and 3 new empirical studies. The first meta-analysis revealed that there is no noteworthy relation between competition and performance. The second meta-analysis showed, in accord with the opposing processes model, that the absence of a direct effect is the result of inconsistent mediation via achievement goals: Competition prompts performance-approach goals which, in turn, facilitate performance; and competition also prompts performance-avoidance goals which, in turn, undermine performance. These same direct and mediational findings were also observed in the 3 new empirical studies (using 3 different conceptualizations of competition and attending to numerous control variables). Our findings provide both interpretational clarity regarding past research and conceptual guidance regarding future research on the competition-performance relation. (Contains 1 figure, 7 tables, and 3 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Structural Equation Models, Meta Analysis, Achievement Need, Competition, Performance, Goal Orientation, Correlation, Coding, Productivity, Introductory Courses, Psychology, Undergraduate Students, Measures (Individuals), Academic Achievement, Statistical Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A