Competitive Versus Cooperative Reward Structures: The Influence of Individual and Group Performance Factors on Achievement Attributions and Affect

Abstract

This study examined the effects of cooperative and competitive reward structures on children's attributions and affective reactions to success and failure. Eighty sixth-grade children performed at a high or low level at an achievement task under competitive or cooperative reward contingencies. The cooperative structure included both group success and group failure. Results showed that competitive contingencies accentuated the differences in self-other perceptions and cooperative contingencies minimized these differences. Within a cooperative structure, the success of the cooperative group was a major factor affecting self and interpersonal evaluations. The results are discussed within an attribution and self-worth theory of motivated behavior.