Does Social Comparison Information Affect Judgments of Learning in Competition?

Social comparison information has an impact on self-evaluation, and previous research has explored the effect of this type of information on relative prediction. However, studies on the absolute prediction of one’s own learning state, which is necessary for effective learning, are lacking. This study examined how social comparison information affects judgments of learning (JOLs). The study involved two experiments, which in turn comprised two sessions. During the solo session, the participants completed a memory task in a noncompetitive context. In the competition session, the participants were asked to compete with an opponent who signed in just before them, and they were provided with either upward or downward comparison information. The results of Experiments 1 and 2 showed that participants who received downward comparison information predicted that they would win against their opponent, whereas participants who received upward comparison information predicted that they would lose to their opponent. By contrast, participants in the upward comparison condition made higher JOLs than those in the downward comparison condition. We discuss these findings in terms of the change in confidence and distortion in the conversion process between confidence and JOLs, and present implications for effective learning.