Effect of self-efficacy, goals, and task strategies on task performance.

Manipulated self-efficacy and task strategies in the training of 209 undergraduates under high strategy, low strategy, and control conditions. Ss underwent 5 trials and were administered a self-efficacy scale after each trial. Results show that ability, past performance, and self-efficacy were the major predictors of goal choice. Ability, self-efficacy, goals, and task strategies were related to task performance. Self-efficacy was more strongly related to past performance than to future performance but remained a significant predictor of future performance even when past performance was controlled. Self-efficacy ratings for moderate to difficult levels of performance were the best predictors of future performance; a reanalysis of 2 previous goal-setting studies by the first author confirms this finding. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of information, choice and task complexity upon goal acceptance, performance, and personal goals.

Tested the hypothesis that information about a goal and/or task, choice in setting a strategy to achieve a goal, and task complexity interact to influence goal acceptance, personal goals, and performance. A laboratory experiment with 96 college students working on a class-scheduling task was used to test the hypothesis. The task consisted of producing mock class schedules consisting of 5 nonredundant classes. The Ss were assigned to either high-information, choice manipulation, or task-complexity conditions. Ss were administered a questionnaire assessing goal acceptance, personal goals, and performance prior to and on completion of the task. Results of 3-way ANOVA conducted on measures of goal acceptance, personal goals, and performance supported the hypotheses that choice in goal-setting and the provision of information interact as do information and task complexity. A 2nd study conducted to generalize these findings also supported the hypotheses. In the 2nd study, 40 animal caregivers (average age 28 yrs) were participants in a replication of the laboratory experiment with task complexity as a repeated-measures factor. Findings are discussed as a means of expanding the position of participation within the goal-setting model. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of temperature, clothing, and task complexity on task performance and satisfaction.

Examined the effects of room temperature, clothing, and task complexity on task performance and satisfaction. 120 18–22 yr old male college students worked on either a mathematical problem-solving task or a collating task. Room temperature was maintained at either 65 or 78Φ during the task session. Ss were requested to wear either a suit (or sport coat), long sleeve shirt, and tie; or a short-sleeve shirt with no tie. Ss were administered the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results show that Ss wearing appropriate clothing for the temperature conditions showed higher levels of performance and satisfaction with the working condition than did those wearing inappropriate clothing, regardless of task complexity. Similar results were found for intrinsic task satisfaction only for the simpler task. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual and group goals when workers are interdependent: Effects on task strategies and performance.

The effects of four different goal setting conditions on the performance of subjects working on an interdependent task were examined. The results indicated that an individual goal condition performed worst when compared with a no specific goal condition, a group goal condition, and an individual plus group goal condition. Questionnaire items assessed feelings of cooperation, competition, and reported task strategies. Behavioral measures also reflected the strategies used. The analyses suggested that task strategies mediated the relationship between goal setting and performance. More specifically, people in the individual goal condition tended to be more competitive and less cooperative than those in the other three conditions. These results are discussed in light of the current research on the effects of goal setting on task strategy development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The influence of degree of expertise and objective task complexity on perceived task complexity and performance.

Research on expertise has shown that nonexperts may sometimes outperform experts. Some researchers have suggested that superior performance by experts depends on the match between the experts' cognition and the demands of the task. The authors explored this issue using a quasi-experiment set in an organization. They examined how 3 sets of similar tasks that differ in their type of complexity can lead to differences in task perceptions and performance among experts, intermediates, and novices. The results suggest that experts and novices pay attention to different aspects of a task and that this affects both their perceptions of task complexity (i.e., task analyzability and variability) and their performance on the task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of physiological arousal level, frustration, and task complexity on performance.

This paper investigates the effects of initial heart-rate level, frustration, and task complexity on digit-symbol performance. Low (LD) and high (HD) heart-rate Ss worked on a digit-symbol problem immediately before and after a frustration manipulation which raised heart rate about 20 beats/min. The results indicated that HD Ss achieved higher initial performance scores than LD Ss on tasks of relatively low complexity; however, following frustration LD Ss manifested a significantly greater increment in performance than HD Ss. The latter group showed a trend toward a decrement in performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A first examination of the relationships between primed subconscious goals, assigned conscious goals, and task performance.

The authors conducted 2 studies of subconscious goal motivation. First, the authors ran a pilot study to establish the effects of priming of subconscious goals on a performance task frequently used in goal setting research. Second, the authors conducted the main study in which the authors examined the effects of both priming of subconscious goals and assigned conscious goals on the same performance task. The authors found significant main effects of both manipulations and a significant interaction between subconscious and conscious goals. The effects of conscious difficult and do-best goals were enhanced by subconscious goals, although conscious easy goals were not affected. All effects from the main study still held after 1 day. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in group task performance.

115 female and 118 male psychology students worked individually or in 3-person same-sex groups on a production task (requiring the generation of ideas) or on a discussion task (requiring group members to reach consensus concerning their evaluation of an issue). Because the content of the tasks was carefully selected not to favor the interests or expertise of one sex over the other, no sex differences were expected when Ss worked individually. Results show no gender differences in individual production performance. Only the creativity of the discussion problems was affected by gender; males working individually generated more creative solutions than did females. Consistent with prior research, males in groups generated more solutions to the production problems than did females; females in groups generated higher quality solutions to the discussion problem than did males. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of variation in task complexity and displayed information on operator performance.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of amount of information displayed, level of task difficulty, and practice on performance speed and accuracy for a visual motor task. Based on results from 16 Ss, it was concluded that an increase in the number of cues available for visual reference will not necessarily affect performance. Further cooroborative evidence was obtained for the hypothesis that the criterion of redundancy in displayed information should be based on perceptual usefulness of the cues provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of self- and competitor goals on performance in an interdependent bargaining task.

We investigated the relation between goal specificity and difficulty and performance on an interdependent bargaining task. In all, 102 subjects competed as buyers and sellers in a 25-min market simulation in which each negotiator was assigned either a nonspecific do-your-best objective or a specific easy, moderate, or difficult goal. Results showed that negotiators who were assigned specific, difficult goals were individually more profitable than negotiators who were assigned easier or nonspecific goals. Concerning dyadic performance, nonspecific or easy goals led to compromise agreements. Integrative agreements that benefited both parties to the transaction were facilitated by assigning both negotiators a moderate goal or difficult-moderate disparate goals. When both negotiators had difficult goals, dyadic performance did not approach the integrative level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of information reliability in predicting task performance using ability and effort.

Past research concluded that predictions of performance are a multiplicative function of ability and effort, although these studies were not designed to test between the averaging and multiplying models. The present study with 65 undergraduates competitively tested these models by manipulating the reliability of information about effort and ability. Results show that the greater the reliability of the ability information, the greater was its effect on judged performance. Similarly, the greater the reliability of the effort information, the greater was its effect on judged performance; in addition, the greater the reliability of 1 type of information, the less the effect of the other type of information. Findings are inconsistent with a multiplying model, but they are consistent with an averaging model in which the reliability of information influences its weight. Individual differences in weighting of effort and ability information were also found, and these differences were predictable from self-reports of the relative importance of the variables. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The influence of task complexity and practice on performance after loss of sleep.

An experiment was conducted to assess the effects of degrees of task complexity and practice on performance after loss of sleep. The Ss were automatically presented every 7 sec. for 23 min., with cards containing 6 symbols. A symbol had to be chosen on the basis of certain rules. Some cards required 1 rule, some 2, some 3, and some 4. Group 1 was practiced after normal sleep and tested after 22 and 46 hr. without sleep. Group 2 was tested without sleep and without previous practice. Group 3 was practiced and tested after normal sleep. Loss of sleep had a greater effect after practice, but no clear differences emerged between the different levels of task complexity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of goals and microlevel work processes to performance on a multipath manual task.

This laboratory experiment used real-time observation to examine the relationships among goals, work processes, and quantity and quality outcomes using a simple multipath assembly task. Trained observers were able to reliably and accurately document work processes used to perform the task, supporting the use of real-time observation for documenting microlevel task strategies. Results show that (a) work processes were affected by goal content (quantity vs. quality); (b) goal form (gradually difficult vs. fixed and difficult) did not influence outcomes or processes used; (c) work processes and personal goals completely mediated the prediction of quantity outcomes and partially mediated quality outcomes; (d) process-only goals produced a greater number of process changes than outcome goals but led to poorer performance; and (e) outcome goals had a lagged effect on performance. The implications for goal-setting theory are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dual-task performance as a function of adult age and task complexity.

A dual-task procedure was used to examine capacity demands of letter-matching in younger and older adults. Older subjects generally were slower on both tasks than were younger adults, but this difference was especially pronounced for the late stages of category matching, suggesting that retrieval and comparison of category information are particularly demanding for older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processing goals, task interest, and the mood–performance relationship: A mediational analysis.

The authors examined the role of intrinsic interest in mediating the relationship among mood, processing goals, and task performance. Participants in induced happy, neutral, or sad moods generated similarities and differences between TV shows using performance-based, enjoyment-based, or no stop rule (cf. L. L. Martin, D. W. Ward, J. W. Achee, & R. S. Wyer, 1993). Pretask interest and both quantitative (time spent, number generated) and qualitative (creativity) performance were assessed. Happy participants spent more time and generated more items than other participants when using an enjoyment-based stop rule but spent less time and generated fewer items when using a performance-based stop rule. Happy participants also expressed greater pretask interest and were more creative than other participants regardless of stop rule. Regression-based path analyses indicated that pretask interest partially mediated the effects of mood on quantitative performance but not on creativity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of cooperative and competitive interdependence and task complexity on subordinates' productivity, perception of leader, and group development.

Hypothesized that subordinates would (1) complete complex tasks more effectively, find their leader more supportive, and develop their group more when the leader structured cooperation rather than competition and (2) complete simple tasks more effectively under conditions of competition. 72 college students took the role of co-workers. The leader gave them either a complex or simple task and placed them in cooperation or competition. Ss in cooperation solved the complex task more effectively, considered the leader more supportive, and came to like and trust each other more compared to Ss in the competitive condition. Leaders who structured competition were seen as production oriented in the simple task condition. Results are interpreted as suggesting that leaders' structuring of cooperation can strengthen subordinates' groups and induce these groups to complete challenging organizational tasks. (French abstract) (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An index of the physical effort required in human task performance.

Conducted 2 studies to examine the relationship between ratings of perceived physical effort required in human task performance and associated metabolic expenditure. In each study, tasks whose metabolic performance costs were known from the physical work assessment literature were rated on the effort required to complete the task by Ss who did not know the metabolic information. Results of the 1st study with 26 personnel specialists reveal that Ss could discriminate among tasks of known metabolic differences and that their ratings of the effort required in task performance were highly correlated with actual metabolic costs. The 2nd study replicated the procedures and results of the 1st study, using 26 male and 28 female untrained observers and examined sex differences in ratings of perceived effort. No rating sex differences were found beyond the level of chance. Results are discussed in terms of the development of an assessment index of the physical effort required in task performance. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of work-group structure and certain task variables on group performance.

This investigation explored how team performance varies as a function of information processing demands and how the information-handling capacity of teams depends upon the requirements for internal transmission of information imposed by a communication structure. 3-man groups performed a simple "team" task under 2 different work structures, differing in the extent to which they required the transmission of information. "… the most difficult structure was that in which a larger proportion of information had to be relayed… from several different sources… . Errors for both structure conditions significantly increased when the rate of change of instrument readings increased." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confronting task difficulty in ego involvement: Change in performance goals.

Both Dweck (1986) and Nicholls (1984) proposed that when ego-involved individuals encounter difficulty, they would begin to doubt their level of ability, and as a consequence, their commitment to the goal of demonstrating high ability would decline. As difficulty continued, perceived ability would decline, and eventually the goal would be abandoned. In the present study, the authors tested these predictions utilizing a longitudinal experimental design to assess changes across time in students' perceived ability, achievement goals, performance, and affective reactions as they experienced differing levels of task difficulty in an ego-involving context. College students (N = 156) participated in 3 sessions, each 1 week apart, in which they were given ego-involving instructions and worked on “intelligence test” items. While the average level of difficulty of the session increased progressively in the experimental condition, it remained similar across sessions for the control condition. Results were generally supportive of the original predictions. As the difficulty of the items increased across sessions, students' perceived ability declined and so did their commitment to performance-approach goals, while their endorsement of work-avoidance goals increased. Also consistent with predictions, students experiencing increasing difficulty expressed stronger escapist thoughts, more negative affect, and less positive affect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Negative effects of destructive criticism: Impact on conflict, self-efficacy, and task performance.

In Study 1, 83 undergraduates received either constructive criticism (feedback that was specific, considerate, and did not attribute poor performance to internal causes) or destructive criticism (feedback that violated these basic principles) of their work. Those who received destructive criticism reported greater anger and tension and indicated that they would be more likely to handle future disagreements with the source through resistance or avoidance and less likely to handle disagreements through collaboration or compromise. In Study 2, 106 undergraduates who received destructive criticism of their work on an intitial task set lower goals and reported lower self-efficacy on two additional tasks than did subjects who received constructive criticism or no feedback. In Study 3, 108 employees of a large food-processing company rated the importance of 14 potential causes of conflict in their organization. Poor use of criticism was perceived as a more important cause of conflict and received higher ratings than did competition over resources or disputes over jurisdiction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)