This work examined the motivational benefits of exercising and/or working with a racially dissimilar partner who is virtually presented and moderately superior to the participant. The motivation effect relates to the team performance outcome, which is dependent upon the least capable (weaker ability) member’s performance. This team dynamic, known as the Köhler motivation gain effect, results in increased performance, due to feelings of being indispensable to the group and making upward social comparisons to one’s moderately better partner. Experiment 1 examined whether or not partner race characteristics moderate the Köhler effect with all white male participants. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three virtually-presented exercise partners under conjunctive-task conditions (i.e., where the group’s performance depends on the weaker member): white partner (WP; control); black partner (BP); or Asian partner (AP). Mean persistence was lower for participants in the BP condition (M = -3.97; SD = 11.1) than for those in the WP condition (M = 2.79; SD = 10.8). The findings suggest that, social comparison with a BP decreased persistence with abdominal isometric exercises in Caucasian college students and attenuated the Köhler effect of motivation gain in team performance. Experiment 2 extended the investigation from Experiment 1 to see if the results can be replicated in a cognitive task using the same experimental conditions, and included an individual control. Participants, again, were be white males. The cognitive task was a modified and reprogrammed version of the vigilance task that was used in Wittchen et al. (2007) study. In this task, participants’ job, as a member of the travel agency “MilesAway,” was to complete hotel package offers by computer according to incoming customer requests. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three partner conjunctive-task conditions (i.e., where the group’s performance depends on the weaker member): white partner (WP; control); black partner (BP); or Asian partner (AP). Experiment 2 also included an individual control condition. Results showed no significant differences in mean persistence between the control condition (MIC = 25.07, SD = 11.50 ) and partnered conditions. (MAP = 22.5, SD = 18.60; MWP = 22.50, SD = 17.40; MBP = 17.24, SD = 12.11). The absence of the usually robust overall Köhler effect suggests that participants may have not cared much about the group’s performance or evaluation, and may have stopped comparing themselves with their partner. Experiment 3 was concerned with facilitating group cooperation between individuals from racially diverse backgrounds. explored a solution that can facilitate cooperation between social ingroup and outgroup members. Participants were randomly assigned to individual control or one of the two virtually-presented exercise partners under conjunctive-task conditions: black partner (BP); or black partner with intervention (BPI). Participants performed the first series of exercises alone. After resting, participants in the experimental conditions performed the remaining trials with a same-sex partner. Mean persistence was lower for participants in the IC (M = -22.53, SD = 20.30) and BP condition (M = -6.86, SD =12.77) than for those in the BPI condition (M = 3.34, SD = 9.60). The findings suggest that, recategorization strategies that strengthen a common ingroup identity, can mitigate against motivation losses under conjunctive-task conditions when stereotype threat perceptions are in play.
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