Comparing "Normative" Versus "Appearance" Performance Goals

• In Event: 14.044 - Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: 14.044-18 - Advances in Achievement Goal Research

Abstract

This study unifies two strands of recent research on performance-approach goals – one showing more desirable effects for performance-approach goals emphasizing outperforming others (“normative goals”) over appearing competent (“appearance goals”; Hulleman et al., 2010), the other showing more desirable effects for normative goals pursued for autonomous reasons (e.g., enjoyment) over controlling reasons (e.g., rewards; Vansteenkiste et al., 2010). University students completed measures of normative, appearance, and mastery goals, their reasons for pursuing normative goals, and several educational outcomes. Appearance goals predicted maladaptive outcomes (e.g., help-avoidance). Normative goals had null effects in general, but adaptive effects (e.g., self-efficacy) when pursued for autonomous reasons, but, like appearance goals, maladaptive effects when pursued for controlling reasons. Multiple theoretical implications will be discussed.

Author

• Corwin Senko, State University of New York - New Paltz