Positive Illusions in the Academic Context: A Longitudinal Study of Academic Self-Enhancement in College

In the present research,we examined academic self-enhancement in students (n = 264) followed longitudinally through 4 years of college. we used social comparison (i.e.,better-than-average ratings) and self-insight (i.e.,criterion-based) approaches to assess the degree to which students self-enhanced in their self-perceptions of academic ability,with sat scores,high school grade point average (gpa),and college gpa used as criterion measures. we also examined ethnic variability in academic self-enhancement. we found that academic self-enhancement (a) increased or decreased over the 4 years of college,depending on its operationalization,(b) tended to be adaptive according to social comparison indices,and (c) demonstrated a trajectory that differed by ethnicity,but ethnicity did not moderate the effect of academic self-enhancement on outcomes. we discuss the implications of the findings for debates about the adaptive value of self-enhancement,the magnitude of cultural differences,and how best to conceptualize and operationalize the construct. © 2016 by the society for personality and social psychology,inc.