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Usability & InteractionMember ingredient
Self-Handicapping
Before an uncertain performance, a person may claim or create an obstacle that can protect an ability-based explanation if they do poorly, sometimes at a real cost to performance.
Public evidence overview
One checked source, with its limits.
This preview is not the complete evidence base. Use it as a question to investigate in your own product, not as a prediction of what an individual will do.
Checked source previewAcademic paper
Academic Self-Handicapping and Achievement: A Meta-Analysis
Research-assisted source review
- What it supports
- The mean correlation with achievement was r=-.23, with effects ranging from -.46 to .02 and moderation by scale, school type, mastery goals and reliability.
- Where it may not transfer
- The synthesis is dominated by correlational, self-report field studies, so direction and causality remain uncertain. Heterogeneity means the mean should not be treated as an individual prediction.
See how sources and limitations are checked in our editorial method.
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Practitioner includes the complete checked source set, study context and practical takeaways for this ingredient. The public overview above remains available without upgrading.