A Physiological Analysis of Achievement Goal Orientations under Pressure: An Experimental Analysis

The purpose of the present study was to compare and contrast goal orientations with regard to stress experienced under conditions of pressure. Participants were 54 college students who participated in the study in response to extra credit. The experimental manipulation involved solving a tangram puzzle within a specific, short time under pressure and under four goal conditions: mastery, performance-outcome, performance-ability, and performance-avoidance normative. Incidents of vasoconstriction defined by low levels in blood volume pulse were expressed as exceeding a 0.5 standard deviation from the grand mean as per Cohen's conventions of a medium effect size. After fitting a cox regression model to the data, results indicated significant differences in the estimation of survival curves as a function of goal orientations with the pursuit of normative performance goals (outcome) and performance avoidance goals being associated with the most heightened incidents of stress. It is concluded that the fear that inspires people to avoid failure and an emphasis on performing under normative pressures are associated with heightened anxiety and self-regulation failure.