Boosting High-Success-Expectancy Student Performance: Effects of Utility and Goal Manipulations

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Motivation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend research on the effects of a utility manipulation on performance. Hulleman (& Harackiewicz, 2009; Hulleman et al., 2010) found that manipulating utility only increased performance in participants with low success expectancies. The current study introduced difficult goals in conjunction with a utility manipulation in an effort to produce a synergistic effect. As predicted, a significant three-way interaction (utility, goals, success expectancies) was observed F (1,99) = 3.69, p = .058. For participants with high success expectancies, task performance was highest when they received both the utility and goal manipulations as compared to when they received only the utility manipulation (p = .005). Conclusions, limitations, and contributions are discussed further.

Authors

• Jeffery John Kosovich, James Madison University

• Amanda Marie Durik, Northern Illinois University

• Chris S. Hulleman, University of Virginia