Question

Jessica, Kristin, and Michael all decide to try out to be UVA cheerleaders, and all three make it. Jessica is a natural cheerleader and easily glides through the try-outs. Kristin is slightly less skilled than Jessica, but easily makes the squad. Michael, on the other hand, has very limited cheerleading experience and must put in hours of extra practice each day just to make the squad. Who is likely to enjoy being a member of the squad the most?

a) Jessica, because of insufficient punishment
b) Michael, because of a self-fulfilling prophecy
c) Kristin, because of effort justification
d) Michael, because of effort justification

Answer 1

Michael is most likely to enjoy being a member of the UVA cheerleading squad the most because of the concept of effort justification, where greater effort leads to increased appreciation.

Step-by-step explanation:

This is based on the psychological concept that the effort we invest to achieve something can lead to greater appreciation and value for the outcome. According to effort justification, individuals who work harder to attain a goal or become part of a group tend to value their achievement or membership more highly than those for whom it was easy. This phenomenon is well-documented in social psychology, particularly by the experiment conducted by Aronson and Mills (1959).

In their study, participants who underwent a difficult initiation into a group ended up liking the group more than those who had an easy initiation or none at all. Applied to Michael's situation, his extensive practice and resulting effort to make the UVA cheerleading squad is likely to result in him appreciating and enjoying his position on the squad more than Jessica, who easily glided through the try-outs, or Kristin, who was also skilled and made the squad without much difficulty.