Level of Aspiration of High and Low Achievers on A Problem-Solving Task

Level of aspiration on a problem-solving task was hypothesized to (a) depend on achievement on a previous problem-solving task, (b) be higher in males than in females, and (c) be related to long-term educational aspirations. College students (28 males and 31 females) were divided into high achievers and low achievers based on their performance on Problem Set A. High achievers made higher estimates for their performance on Problem Set B than low achievers. Males made higher estimates and performed better on Problem Set B than females. However, estimates were not related to students’ long-term educational aspirations. The low achievers improved significantly more than the high achievers lost on Problem Set B. The low achievers also set a positive goal discrepancy whereas the high achievers did not.