MOTIVATIONAL EFFECTS OF KNOWLEDGE OF RESULTS - A GOAL-SETTING PHENOMENON

Hypothesized that the motivational effects of knowledge of results (KR) were a function of the goals Ss set in response to such knowledge. Previous studies were classified into 4 categories according to the degree to which KR and goal setting effects were separated: (1) 1 group of studies explicitly confounded the 2 variables by assigning KR and no-KR Ss different goals; (2) other studies gave KR only in relation to standards or gave S a record of his previous performance, both of which procedures probably encouraged goal setting by KR Ss; (3) a 3rd group of studies did not involve any obvious manipulation of goals but the goals set spontaneously by the KR and no-KR Ss were not actually measured; (4) 4 studies which separated KR and goal-setting effects found significant relationships between goals and performance but no effect of KR per se. Other studies which gave multiple KR (based on independent performance parameters) found performance improvement to be restricted to that parameter on which S set a goal of improvement. (52 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1968 American Psychological Association.