Abstract This energetic lecture consist of a paper fight and another exercise to provide background, methodology, and findings from research that has empirically examined competitive dynamics. Foundational to this stream of research are several literatures including game theory and the...

Prior research on how ex ante performance impacts competitive behavior has led to conflicting conclusions. Prospect theory, for example, suggests that poor performance promotes aggressive behavior, whereas threat-rigidity theory predicts the opposite. We attempt to reconcile these conflicting...