ABSTRACT Individuals' self-set goals, certainty, and task performance over two work periods in a group setting were examined as a function of behavior pattern and task label (difficult vs. easy). American college students (N = 115) were divided into three groups (Type A, intermediate, and Type B) and worked on identical anagram-solving tasks labeled as either difficult or easy. The results of 3 × 2 analyses of variance showed that, in the first work period, (a) students in the easy condition set higher goals than did those in the difficult condition, (b) Type As were more certain of goal accomplishment than intermediates and Type Bs, and (c) there were no significant differences in performance. In the second work period, Type As in the easy condition set significantly higher goals than did Type Bs, and intermediates in the easy condition set higher goals than did those in the difficult condition. Type As' goal setting in the second period was not affected by task labels. Students in the difficult conditio...