Competitive Versus Cooperative Reward Structures: The Influence of Individual and Group Performance Factors on Achievement Attributions and Affect

This study examined the effects of cooperative and competitive reward structures on children's attributions and affective reactions to success and failure. Eighty sixth-grade children performed at a high or low level at an achievement task under competitive or cooperative reward contingencies. The cooperative structure included both group success and group failure. Results showed that competitive contingencies accentuated the differences in self-other perceptions and cooperative contingencies minimized these differences. Within a cooperative structure, the success of the cooperative group was a major factor affecting self and interpersonal evaluations. The results are discussed within an attribution and self-worth theory of motivated behavior.

[1]  J. Santrock,et al.  Effects of social comparison on aggression and regression in groups of young children. , 1976, Child development.

[2]  David W. Johnson,et al.  Effects of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic goal structures on achievement: A meta-analysis. , 1981 .

[3]  J. Andrews,et al.  Sex Differences in Children's Reward Allocation Under Competitive and Cooperative Instructional Sets , 1977 .

[4]  David W. Johnson,et al.  Cooperative peer interaction versus individual competition and individualistic efforts: Effects on the acquisition of cognitive reasoning strategies. , 1981 .

[5]  Carole A. Ames,et al.  An examination of children's attributions and achievement-related evaluations in competitive, cooperative, and individualistic reward structures. , 1979 .

[6]  E. Ramsden.  Group Process and Productivity , 1973 .

[7]  David W. Johnson,et al.  The Effects of Cooperative and Individualized Instruction on Student Attitudes and Achievement , 1978 .

[8]  A. Garibaldi,et al.  Affective Contributions of Cooperative and Group Goal Structures. , 1979 .

[9]  Robert E. Slavin,et al.  Student teams and comparison among equals: Effects on academic performance and student attitudes. , 1978 .

[10]  R. Slavin.  Classroom Reward Structure: An Analytical and Practical Review , 1975 .

[11]  W. E. Scott,et al.  Effects of competitive, cooperative, and individualistic reinforcement contingencies. , 1974 .

[12]  D. Ruble,et al.  Self-evaluative Responses of Children in an Achievement Setting. , 1976 .

[13]  Martin V. Covington,et al.  Self-worth and school learning , 1976 .

[14]  Carole A. Ames,et al.  Effects of competitive reward structure and valence of outcome on children's achievement attributions. , 1977 .

[15]  Ronald Wheeler,et al.  Effects of Cooperative and Competitive Classroom Environments on the Attitudes and Achievement of Elementary School Students Engaged in Social Studies Inquiry Activities. , 1973 .

[16]  B. Weiner,et al.  A theory of motivation for some classroom experiences. , 1979, Journal of educational psychology.

[17]  L. S. Wilce,et al.  The effects of cooperatively and competitively structured learning enironments on inter- and intrapersonal behavior. , 1976, Child development.

[18]  David L. DeVries,et al.  Student teams and learning games: Their effects on cross-race and cross-sex interaction. , 1974 .

[19]  Carole A. Ames.  Children's Achievement Attributions and Self-reinforcement: Effects of Self-concept and Competitive Reward Structure. , 1978 .

[20]  John G. Nicholls,et al.  Quality and Equality in Intellectual Development: The Role of Motivation in Education. , 1979 .

[21]  E. Aronson,et al.  The Effects of Friendship and Outcome on Task Attribution , 1977 .

[22]  D. Ruble,et al.  Awareness of Social Comparison Interest and Motivations: A Developmental Study. , 1977 .

[23]  M. Barnett,et al.  Effects of Competition with Outcome Feedback on Children's Helping Behavior. , 1974 .

[24]  John G. Nicholls,et al.  Causal attributions and other achievement-related cognitions: Effects of task outcome, attainment value, and sex. , 1975 .

[25]  B. K. Bryant,et al.  The Effects of the Interpersonal Context of Evaluation on Self- and Other-Enhancement Behavior. , 1977 .

[26]  F. Heider.  The psychology of interpersonal relations , 1958 .