Growth in academic and social non-ability-based confidence in American and Chinese adolescents

Non-ability-based confidence is an individual’s level of confidence that is not calibrated to their ability level. Some people have positive non-ability-based confidence and are overconfident, other people have negative non-ability-based confidence and are underconfident, and others have non-ability-based confidence close to zero and are calibrated in their confidence. Little is known about how non-ability-based confidence develops and whether it changes over time. Using a sample of 420 American adolescents (n = 212 boys, 208 girls) and 514 Chinese adolescents (n = 276 boys, 238 girls) assessed in the fall of 7th grade, spring of 7th grade, and fall of 8th grade, I constructed a non-ability-based confidence variable using a latent variable residual approach for academic confidence (self-perceptions of how well they do in school) and academic ability (students’ semester grades), as well as social confidence (self-perceptions of social skills, likeability, and popularity) and social ability (peer nominations of who is popular, admired, and well-liked). I used growth curve modeling to find that both academic (d ≈ -.1) and social (d ≈ -.3) non-ability-based confidence decreased from the beginning of 7th grade to the middle of 8th grade. Then, I calculated the associations between the latent intercept and slopes. Academic and social non-ability-based confidence were moderately correlated (r ≈ .4) in the fall of 7th grade, and individuals tended to follow somewhat similar patterns of change (r ≈ .4) through 8th grade. Finally, I found that the level of autonomy the child receives in the academic and social domains relates to their initial level of academic and social non-ability-based confidence (r ≈ |.1|), but not growth (r ≈ 0). Across these analyses, I examined gender and culture differences in the level of academic and social non-ability-based confidence and the pattern of change over time. These results inform our understanding of how non-ability-based confidence changes over an important period in the development of self-identity, by domain, and with respect to autonomy support from parents.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Vogt, Randi Louise

Contributors dc:contributor

• Briley, Daniel A
• Derringer, Jaime
• Fraley, R. Chris
• Newman, Dan A
• Pomerantz, Eva M

• overconfidence
• adolescence
• growth curve modeling
• autonomy

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Randi Vogt

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115683

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F115683