When better-than-others compare upward: Choice of comparison and comparative evaluation as independent predictors of academic performance.

Social comparison theory has linked improved performance to both the tendency to compare with others who are performing well and the tendency to view the self as better than others. However, little research has investigated the effects of either variable outside of a controlled laboratory environment, Moreover, there is reason to believe that the 2 tendencies would be in opposition to one another, because people who compare upward might...