Barbara just received a B on her test. She learns that one of her friends got an A on the same test, and another friend got a C.
Later that night, Barbara tells her roommate that she did "really well" relative to other people in the class. According to social comparison theory, Barbara appears to have engaged in ________ comparison.
According to social comparison theory, Barbara appears to have engaged in downward comparison.
Explanation:
According to Leon Festinger's Theory of Social Comparison, we commonly compare ourselves to people who are similar to us. We do that with the purpose of making accurate self-evaluations. However, a type of comparison known as downward comparison happens when we do not look at those who are similar to us. Instead, we compare ourselves to people who are in an inferior, more unfortunate position. That is a way we find to feel better about ourselves. This is what Barbara has done. She only knows the grades of two other classmates - one did better, one did worse than she did. Yet, she has chosen to think she has done really well relative to others in the class. Barbara has clearly chosen to ignore the one got an A, comparing herself to the one who got a C.
