Seaton Marjorie, Marsh Herbert W, Dumas Florence, Huguet Pascal, Monteil Jean-Marc, Régner Isabelle, Blanton Hart, Buunk Abraham P, Gibbons Frederick X, Kuyper Hans, Suls Jerry, Wheeler Ladd
SELF Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Br J Soc Psychol. 2008 Mar;47(Pt 1):73-103. doi: 10.1348/014466607X202309.
Blanton, Buunk, Gibbons, and Kuyper (1999) and Huguet, Dumas, Monteil, and Genestoux (2001) found that children nominated a social comparison target who slightly outperformed them in class with a beneficial effect on course grades - an assimilation effect, but with no effects on self-evaluation. However, big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) research has shown that attending a high-ability school has a negative effect on academic self-concept--a contrast effect. To resolve this apparent conflict, the present investigation (1) tested the BFLPE in the Netherlands and France, using nationally representative samples (Study 1) and (2) further analysed (using more sophisticated analyses) the Dutch (Blanton et al.) study (Study 2) and the French (Huguet et al.) study including new French data (Study 3), to examine whether the BFLPE coexisted with, or was moderated by, the beneficial impact of upward comparisons. In support of the BFLPE, all studies found the negative effects of school- or class-average ability on self-evaluation, demonstrating that these assimilation and contrast effects can coexist.
布兰顿、布恩克、吉本斯和凯珀（1999年）以及于盖、迪马、蒙泰尔和热内斯托（2001年）发现，孩子们会挑选在班级中表现略优于自己的社会比较对象，这对课程成绩有积极影响——一种同化效应，但对自我评价没有影响。然而，大鱼小池塘效应（BFLPE）研究表明，就读于高能力学校会对学业自我概念产生负面影响——一种对比效应。为了解决这一明显的冲突，本调查（1）在荷兰和法国对大鱼小池塘效应进行了测试，使用了具有全国代表性的样本（研究1），并且（2）进一步分析（使用更复杂的分析方法）了荷兰（布兰顿等人）的研究（研究2）以及法国（于盖等人）的研究，包括新的法国数据（研究3），以检验大鱼小池塘效应是否与向上比较的有益影响同时存在，或者是否受其调节。为支持大鱼小池塘效应，所有研究均发现学校或班级平均能力对自我评价有负面影响，这表明这些同化效应和对比效应可以同时存在。
