Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2010
Publication Information
21 Psych. Sci. 748 (2010)
Abstract
The N-effect (Garcia & Tor, 2009) is a phenomenon in which the motivation to compete decreases as the number of competitors increases, even when controlling for overall expected payoffs. In their thoughtful Commentary, Mukherjee and Hogarth (2010) astutely argue that, given ability differences in the population, the greater sampling error (SE) in small-N settings increases weaker competitors’ individual probability of winning, potentially increasing their motivation.1 Although SE may sometimes contribute to the N-effect, we explain here why SE is a theoretically unlikely account of our 2009 findings,2 and experimentally demonstrate the persistence of the N-effect under conditions in which an SE effect should not appear.
Recommended Citation
Avishalom Tor & Stephen M. Garcia,
The N-Effect: Beyond Probability Judgments,
21 Psych. Sci. 748 (2010).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/law_faculty_scholarship/1516
Comments
Avishalom Tor joined the faculty at Notre Dame Law School in 2011.