A total of 220 random participants, 113 boys and 107 girls, from varying ethnic backgrounds (65% Caucasian, 16% Latin American, 4% African American, 10% Asian, and 5% Middle Eastern) and with ages ranging from 18-33 years old (M= 19.43, SD= 1.6) were used in this correlational study. The participants also all had to be …show more content…
All students are required to be unpaid research participants for a total of four hours per term. By filling out our online survey they get to fulfill 30 minutes of their four-hour requirement in the comfort of there own home. Once registered with SONA, the participant would find our study, the competition and academic performance survey, and sign up for it.
Before they were allowed to take the survey’s, the participants had to fill out a confidentiality form. The confidentiality form told them that they could withdraw from the study at any point in time, and that their names would not be disclosed in the study. The confidentiality form also asked for the participants complete and undivided attention while taking the survey to control for confounding variables.
The confidentiality form also addressed all possible risks and rewards for participating. The risks that come with the study are essentially none, other than the 30-minute time commitment. The reward is that it fulfills a half an hour of the four hours required for intro to …show more content…
These three factors are then assessed in relation to competition. See a more in-depth description in previous study.
The other survey was the Hypercompetitive Attitude scale, which is an assessment with questions centered around that idea that people are willing to win at all costs. An example question would be, “If you don’t get the better of others, will they get the better of you?”. Answers ranging from 1-5. See a more in-depth description in previous studies.
The survey orders were mixed up between participants, but all of the questions were the same for each participant.
A debriefing form was given to the participants proceeding the study which includes all details about the hypothesis of the study. A link to the head researchers email was given as well in case any additional questions need addressing.
Procedure:
By going directly through the Psychology department we were able to tell every intro to psychology student about our study. Because every student has a four credit hour requirement, the opportunity to take our survey was a good option. At the beginning of one class two researchers went into the class and told the students about the opportunity. If the student chose to participate in the study, they had to register on the SONA website and select our study, Competition and Academic