Inspirational or Demotivational: Experimental Evidence on the Impacts of Role Models

Motivational interventions often feature exemplary individuals as role models, but the effects may depend not only on who is featured but also on how they are introduced. I examine whether different framings of the same role models' success influence their effects on academic performance and psychological strain. Using a field experiment with 1,920 Chinese students, I compare the same role models introduced using exceptional versus broader, more moderate descriptions of the same underlying academic achievements. The exceptional framing raises total scores by 0.091-0.096 standard deviations relative to the moderate framing. By contrast, relative to the exceptional framing, the moderate framing lowers the probabilities of reporting feeling depressed and experiencing academic pressure by 12.3 and 9.3 percentage points, respectively. Evidence on potential mechanisms suggests shifts in academic self-perceptions rather than study time, academic aspirations, or goal attainment. Findings suggest that role model interventions should align the portrayal of success with target outcomes.