Mark Murphy the founder and CEO of and author of the book “ Hard Goals: The Secret to Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be,” has gone through years of research in science and how the brain works and how we are wired as a human being as it pertains to goal setting. The truth is that some goals are achieved while others are not and it’s important to understand why. The third experiment examined the same four achievement goal variables and revealed that those more likely to use performance-approach goals were more likely to have higher exam scores, while those who used performance-avoidance goals were more likely to have lower exam scores.Īccording to the research, motivation in achievement settings is complex, and achievement goals are but one of several types of operative variables to be considered.Īchievement goal regulation, or the actual pursuit of the goal, implicates both the achievement goal itself as well as some other typically higher order factors such as motivationally relevant variables, according to the research done by Elliot and McGregor.Īs we can clearly see, the research on goal setting is quite robust. Those with a high motive to avoid failure, on the other hand, were much more likely to use avoidance goals. Results of these studies showed that those with a high motive to achieve were much more likely to use approach goals. Once all of the questions were combined, a factor-analysis was utilized to confirm that each set of questions expressed different goal-setting components. The questions for these studies were created from a series of pilot studies and prior questionnaires. Image via HappierHumanĬonfirmatory factor analysis was used at a later date to show that mastery-avoidance and mastery-approach fit the data better than mastery alone. In experiments one and two, explanatory factor analysis was used to break down 12 goal-setting questions into 4 factors, as seen in the diagram below. These variables were tested in 3 studies. The implied assumption, as a result of this, was that there were no bad mastery goals or mastery-avoidance goals.Įlliot and McGregor’s study challenged those assumptions by proving that master-avoidance goals do exist and proving that each type of goal can, in fact, be useful depending on the circumstances.Įlliot and McGregor’s research utilized a 2 x 2 achievement goal framework comprised of: Performance-avoidance goals were deemed the worst, and, in fact, bad. Until this study was published, it was assumed that mastery goals were the best and performance-approach goals were at times good, and other times bad. Research done by Elliot and McGregor in 2001 changed these assumptions. This type of goal could be a goal to look better by losing 5 pounds or getting a better performance review.Ī performance-avoidance goal is a goal where someone tries to avoid doing worse than their peers such as a goal to avoid negative feedback. Up until 2001, goals were divided into three types or groups (Elliot & McGregor, 2001):Ī mastery goal is a goal someone sets to accomplish or master something such as “ I will score higher in this event next time.”Ī performance-approach goal is a goal where someone tries to do better than his or her peers.
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