38. People are More Motivated to Compete When There are Fewer Competitors

Did you take standardized tests like the SAT and ACT to get into college? How many people were in the room when you took the test? What does it matter? Research by Stephen Garcia and Avishalom Tor (2009) shows that it may matter a lot. Garcia and Tor first compared SAT scores from locations that had many people in the room taking the test to scores from locations that had smaller numbers. They adjusted the scores to control for the educational budget in each region, as well as other factors. Students who took the SAT in a room with fewer people scored higher.

Garcia and Tor hypothesized that when there are only a few competitors, you (perhaps unconsciously) feel that you can come out on top, and so you try harder. And, the theory goes, when there are more people, it’s harder to assess where you stand, and therefore you’re less motivated to try to come out on top. They called this the N-effect, with N equaling number, as in formulas.

Competing Against 10 vs. Competing Against 100

Garcia and Tor decided to test their theory in the lab. They asked students to complete a short quiz, and told them to complete it as quickly and accurately as possible. They were told that the top 20 percent would receive $5. Group A was told that they were competing against 10 other students. Group B was told that they were competing against 100 other students. Participants in Group A completed the quiz significantly faster than those in Group B. The interesting thing is that there was no one actually in the room with them. They were just told that other people were taking the test.