Effects of Attainable and Unattainable Goals on Mirror-Tracing Performance and Retention of a Motor Task

Abstract

Attainable and unattainable goals' effect on mirror tracing a six-pointed star was investigated. Three groups of male college students were randomly assigned to groups: control, attainable goals, or unattainable goals. Subjects were evaluated for time and error in 28 trials. Goals were individualized on the basis of each subject's performance on the previous three trials. Knowledge of results and goals were given for both time and error on the first 18 trials but not the last 10. The use of goals led to superior performance and short-term retention, but no significant differences were found between subjects given attainable and unattainable goals. Significant correlations of time and error in some experimental blocks suggest that, under increasingly difficult conditions, quality (avoidance of error) may be sacrificed for quantity (time).