Interactive Effects of Initial Achievement Orientation and Prior Success Feedback on the Mastery of Subsequent Difficult and Easy Tasks

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of initial achievement orientation and prior success feedback on the rate of mastery of subsequent easy and difficult tasks. Eighty male introductory psychology students (40 high in initial achievement orientation and 40 low) were administered six trials of a digit-symbol substitution task on which they received either success feedback or no feedback. All participants then learned an easy or difficult list of paired-associates with no feedback about performance given. Results indicate success facilitates digit-symbol performance in general, but slightly more so for participants initially low in achievement orientation. The transfer effects of prior success feedback indicated a disordinal Trait by Treatment by Task Difficulty interaction. Here, prior success feedback has: 1) no effect on rate of mastery of a subsequent easy task, 2) a positive transfer effect on rate of mastery of a subsequent difficult task for participants initially high in achievement orientation, and 3) a negative transfer effect on rate of mastery of a subsequent difficult task for participants initially low in achievement orientation.