‘Seek and ye shall find’: antecedents of assimilation and contrast in social comparison

Abstract Based on a Selective Accessibility (SA) model of comparison consequences, it is suggested that the self‐evaluative effects of social comparisons depend on the nature of the hypothesis that is tested as a starting‐point of the comparison process. If judges test the hypothesis that they are similar to the standard, then standard‐consistent self‐knowledge is rendered accessible so that self‐evaluations are assimilated towards the standard. If judges test the hypothesis that they are dissimilar from the standard, however, standard‐inconsistent self‐knowledge is made accessible so that self‐evaluations are contrasted away from the standard. These predictions are tested by inducing participants to test for similarity versus dissimilarity to the standard via a procedural priming manipulation. Consistent with the SA model, assimilation occurs if participants are procedurally primed to focus on similarities to the standard, whereas contrast results if they are primed to focus on dissimilarities. These findings suggest that similarity versus dissimilarity testing is a crucial determinant of assimilation versus contrast. It is proposed that distinguishing between these two alternative hypotheses may provide an integrative framework for an understanding of the self‐evaluative consequences of social comparisons. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.