Perceived Sources of Effort Influence Students' Ability Judgments

• In Event: 73.062 - Poster Session 17
  In Poster Session: 73.062-4 - Motivation in Education SIG Poster Session 1

Abstract

Two studies examined whether undergraduate students’ perceptions of the source of another student’s effort (i.e., whether it was task-elicited or self-initiated) on a school-related task influenced their evaluations of that person’s academic ability. In general, when provided with task-elicited effort cues (indicating that the person’s effort was driven by the demands of the task), participants perceived high effort to be an indication of low ability. However, when provided with self-initiated cues (indicating that the person’s effort was driven by their motivation to engage in the task), participants perceived high effort to be a sign of high ability. These results help extend current motivation research by increasing our understanding of how students reason about effort and ability in school contexts.

Authors

• Katherine Marie Muenks, University of Maryland

• David B. Miele, Boston College

• Allan L. Wigfield, University of Maryland - College Park