Expectancy theory prediction of the goal theory postulate, "The harder the goals, the higher the performance."

Goal theory postulates that harder goals lead to higher performance than do easier goals. The present study tested the prediction, based on expectancy valence theory, that this would be true only if the payoff for succeeding at the harder goal is sufficiently greater than the alternatives to compensate for its greater difficulty. 63 undergraduates were each given an easy and a hard task/goal, requiring the comparison of paired sets of 3-digit numbers. Expectancy theory measures for the 2 goals were obtained from Ss. Performance was higher for the hard goal than for the easy goal, supporting the goal theory postulate. Force was also higher for the hard goal than for the easy goal. In addition, force change across the 2 goals was associated with performance change, supporting the conclusion that expectancy valence theory can predict the goal theory postulate. The valence of goal attainment was higher for the hard goal than for the easy goal. Valence change across the 2 goals was associated with performance change to a greater degree than was expectancy change, suggesting that the attained performance difference can be attributed to the valence difference. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)