ABSTRACT
When a group has finished an attempt to reach a goal, the participants are interested in how well the group has performed-thus, they compare its output and its aspiration. If they give the group a poor evaluation when its score is below its level of aspiration and a good evaluation when its performance is above that level, they are using the aspiration as their criterion of success. Under what conditions are members more likely to appraise their group by referring to its aspiration level? When and why do they distort their evaluation of the group?
