The Psychological Effects of a Competitive Environment and Non-Competitive Environment of College-Aged Students Performing Cognitive Tasks

File(s)
Date
2019Author
Pyter, Ciena
Knutson, Kylie
Brigowatz, Julia
Chen, Stephanie
Burandt, Tyler
Publisher
Journal of Advanced Student Sciences (JASS)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Throughout human history, competition has been a motivator behind many successes and
failures. Evolutionarily, competition underlies the theory of natural selection, in which
organisms compete for natural resources and those more fit can adapt and reproduce. A similar
framework applies to modern society in how starting at a young age students are defined by their
performance both academically and non-academically. Academic achievement is weighed
heavily, especially in terms of standardized examination scores and acceptances to higher-level
educational institutions. The same is true in a non-academic setting for extracurriculars as
individuals are required to tryout before being ranked and divided into teams of different levels.
Even though studies have shown that competition plays a significant role in increasing student
academic performance, to what end is this true? This study assessed the bounds of competition
and evaluated the physiological effects of competition on the body’s stress response. Using
university level students as the primary participants, the study specifically focused on
competition as a motivating or debilitating influence on performance. A T-test was performed to
determine if there was a significant difference of percent change between competitive and noncompetitive groups taking account baseline values. An alpha P-value of 0.05 was used. Blood
pressure, Electrodermal Activity (EDA), and heart rate P-values were calculated to be greater
than the alpha significance level and were therefore not significant. Despite the insignificance of
physiological measurements, there was a statistically significant relationship between
competitive conditions and exam accuracy. These results suggest that while physiological body
responses may not change, competitive testing conditions influence cognitive performance.
Further research is necessary to evaluate the physiological responses and cognitive performance
with competition on a larger scale.
Subject
Blood Pressure
Heart Rate
stress
Electrodermal Activity (EDA)
Competition
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/81997Description
An article that appeared in JASS, issue 2019