Open AccessPERFORMANCE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACQUISITION OF A PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE IN COMPETITION 1
Author(s) -
Myers Albert E.
Publication year - 1964
Publication title -
ets research bulletin series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2333-8504
pISSN - 0424-6144
DOI - 10.1002/j.2333-8504.1964.tb00124.x
Subject(s) - pessimism , psychology , selection (genetic algorithm) , control (management) , social psychology , applied psychology , cognitive psychology , computer science , artificial intelligence , philosophy , epistemology
ABSTRACT The purpose of this experiment was to investigate psychological advantages in competitive encounters. Twenty S s participated in fourman tournaments using shuffleboard bowling machines. By remote control, the experimenter was able to manipulate the scores. A 2 × 2 factorial design controlled for the mean performance (high vs. low) and the variability (high vs. low) of each S . It was found that the low mean S s gained a psychological advantage in this situation which was characterized by a pessimistic outlook and poor strategy selection on the part of their opponents.