In the context of social comparison, what did Ratliff and Oishi (2013) find regarding implicit self-esteem?

Ratliff and Oishi’s research examined the dynamics of implicit self-esteem and its relationship to social comparison mechanisms within romantic partnerships. The correct finding from their study indicates that women exhibited significant differences based on their partner's performance.

This means that the self-esteem of women was more susceptible to fluctuations based on how well their partners performed compared to men, suggesting a greater sensitivity among women to social comparison in the context of their relationships. This is reflective of broader psychological theories about how individuals, especially women, might gauge their self-worth in relation to others, particularly in intimate connections.

In contrast, the other options suggest different dynamics that either do not capture the essence of the study or inaccurately represent the findings. For instance, the notion that men responded similarly to women in terms of self-esteem does not align with the findings showing significant gender differences, especially in the context of relationship dynamics. The idea that men quickly sorted their partner’s successes over failures or that women displayed higher implicit self-esteem than men does not correctly reflect the observed outcomes of the study regarding social comparison's influence on implicit self-esteem.