Rationality and Achievement: A Comparison of the Atkinson-McClelland and Kogan-Wallach Formulations

Author(s):

Alker, Henry A.

Publication Year:

1967

Report Number:

RB-67-56

Source:

ETS Research Bulletin

Document Type:

Report

Page Count:

28

Subject/Key Words:

Aspiration, Predictor Variables, Student Motivation, Success

Abstract

This comparison concerns the prediction of (1) success at complex tasks and (2) the presence of unusual shifts in aspiration level following success or failure. The Kogan-Wallach formulation generates predictions concerning these dependent variables without recourse to a concept of the need for achievement. These predictions, furthermore, both yield empirical results that account for significantly more variance (p < .05) in the responses of a sample of 96 high school boys than do comparable predictions from need achievement theory. The interpretation stresses a distinction between merely trying hard and learning from one's mistakes.

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• http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.2333-8504.1967.tb00707.x