Working harder with the out-group: The impact of social category diversity on motivation gains

Work examining the influence of social categorization on human behavior has primarily examined this phenomenon with respect to in-group favoritism, and out-group derogation (Brewer & Brown, 1998). This paper examines the influence that social category diversity (i.e., working with an in-group or out-group member) has on individual levels of motivation. The results of two experiments provide evidence that individuals increase their effort more when being outperformed by an out-group instead of an in-group member (Experiment 1), but only when the potential for social comparison is present (Experiment 2). We discuss the implications of this research for understanding how and why social category diversity may impact individual levels of motivation.