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Fictitious social position of competence, and performance in a foreign-language interaction situation: An experimental approach

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Abstract

A substantial body of research has shown that in experiments where subjects are required to accomplish an intellectual task, their cognitive performance is influenced by the social aspects of the situation. The goal of this study was to determine how a fictitious social position of inferiority or superiority affects cognitive activity. Two studies in which subjects interacted with a partner are reported. In the first, the subject’s position in comparison to his/her partner stemmed from a fictitious level of competence assigned on a single comparative dimension (foreign-language proficiency). In the second, another comparative dimension whose social status was either high (geometry) or low (art) was added. The results showed that in a communicative interaction, what subjects are told about themselves and about their partner along one or two comparative dimensions is a determinant of the quantity and quality of what they produce. Theoretical explanations are proposed. One of them is based on classical studies on the working self-concept. A general point that emerges from these studies is that cognitive performance should be investigated not only in a cognitive and didactic perspective, but also from a sociocognitive standpoint.

Résumé

Une série de recherches a montré que des sujets soumis expérimentalement à une tâche cognitive produisaient des performances varaiables selon les aspects sociaux de la situation dans laquelle ils devaient agir. L’objectif de l’étude présentée ici consiste à déterminer comment une position sociale fictive de supériorité ou d’infériorité influence l’activité cognitive. Deux expériences dans lesquelles des élèves interagissent avec un partenaire sont rapportées. Dans la première, en utilisant une seule dimension comparative, les élèves sont affectés à une position sociale fondée sur une compétence fictive dans le domaine des langues étrangères. Dans la seconde, une deuxième dimension comparative est introduite. Celle-ci est dotée soit d’un statut social élevé (la géométrie), soit d’un statut social faible (le dessin). Les résultats montrent que l’information de position sociale de compétence fournie aux sujets détermine significativement la quantité et la qualité de ce qu’ils produisent. Des explications théoriques sont développées dont une réfère plus particulièrement aux études classiques sur le soi de travail. Ce qui ressort de ces deux études c’est que les performances cognitives, en plus d’être examinées dans des perspectives cognitive et didactique, doivent être considérées d’un point de vue socio-cognitif.

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  1. University Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Patrick Chambres & Pierre -Jean Marescaux

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  1. Patrick Chambres
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  2. Pierre -Jean Marescaux
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Chambres, P., Marescaux, P.J. Fictitious social position of competence, and performance in a foreign-language interaction situation: An experimental approach. Eur J Psychol Educ 13, 411–430 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03172954

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