Press Release and 
podcast -- Yahoo Answers users seek advice, opinion, as well as expertise in research by Mark Ackerman, Lada Adamic and STIET fellow Eytan Bakshy Press Release -- Bluffing in prediction markets research by Rahul Sami and STIET fellow, Stanko Dimitrov
Podcast discussing the STIET research program with Jeff MacKie-Mason and Tom Finholt
STIET video showing lifesize, uncompressed fiber-optic video conference from UM Atkins room to WSU via OptIPortalStephen Garcia
Assistant Professor of Psychology and of Organizational Studies, University of Michigan
4-5:30 pm
UM: 411 West Hall
WSU: 313 State Hall (via videoconference)
The present analysis introduces the N-Effect - the discovery that increasing the number of competitors (N) can decrease competitive motivation. Studies 1a-b found evidence that average test scores (e.g., SAT scores) fall as the average number of test-takers at test taking venues increases. Study 2 found that individuals trying to finish an easy quiz among the top 20 percent in terms of speed finished significantly faster if they believed they were competing in a pool of 10 versus 100 other people. Using a social comparison orientation (SCO) scale, Study 3 showed the N-Effect occurs strongly among those high in SCO and weakly among those low in SCO. Study 4 directly linked the N-Effect to social comparison, ruling out the "ratio-bias" and finding that social comparison becomes less important as N increases. Finally, Study 5 found the N-Effect is mediated by social comparison. Limitations, future directions, and implications are discussed.
Background reading: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/stephen.garcia/files/ranksandrivals.pdf
Stephen Garcia is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and of Organizational Studies at the University of Michigan. He is also a Faculty Associate of the Research Center for Group Dynamics at Michigan’s Institute for Social Research.
His primary research program explores decision-making, social comparison, and competition. Recent papers, for instance, examine the impact of ranking information on the willingness to enter lucrative joint ventures, as well as the impact of the number of competitors on the motivation to compete.
Stephen's work is appearing in journals such as the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and Psychological Science.
His research has been featured in The Economist, New York Times, The Washington Post, and other media outlets.
His corporate experience is in marketing at Charles Schwab, Merrill Lynch, and Wells Fargo where he worked at the interface of database marketing and risk management.
Stephen is a graduate of Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton.
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