Student performance can be affected by exposure to exemplary peer work

From academic honors to “employee of the month” awards, we are regularly exposed to and made aware of the exemplary performance of others. Many believe such recognition not only acknowledges the individual but also motivates others to strive toward greater achievement.

But new research suggests that exposure to exceptional performance can sometimes have the opposite results, effectively discouraging people from higher-level performance.

Source: Seeing Exemplary Peer Work Can Undermine Student Performance – Association for Psychological Science

If the peer work appears to be unattainable, students will be less motivated to emulate the work of their higher performing peers.