title: Performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals: when uncertainty makes a difference.
abstract: Performance-avoidance goals (the desire to avoid performing more poorly than others do) have been shown to have consistently deleterious effects on performance but the effects of performance-approach goals (trying to outperform others) are more complex. Two studies examine uncertainty as a moderator of the effect of performance-approach goals on performance. Experiment 1 shows that manipulated performance-approach goals lead to better performance than do performance-avoidance goals in the absence of uncertainty about performance but when participants learn that a coactor disagreed with them about problem solutions, creating uncertainty, performance-approach goals do not differ from performance-avoidance goals in their effect on performance. Experiment 2 shows that uncertainty also moderates the effects of self-set performance-approach goals. Moreover, the same dynamic occurs with another kind of uncertainty: negative competence feedback.
authors.affiliation: Université Pierre Mendès France, Grenoble. celine.darnon@univ-bpclermont.fr
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Darnon
authors.forename: Judith M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Harackiewicz
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Butera
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mugny
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quiamzade
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001076:Aptitude; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D011340:Problem Solving; D020377:Self Efficacy; D035501:Uncertainty