Assessing the implicit achievement motive: effects of input-condition, administration and picture-position

Abstract

Implicit measurements are sensitive for influences of experimenter and situation. An assessment using computers could therefore avert those negative effects, if there is an adequate translation to computer Blankenship, 2010 . We split the achievement motive into the two components hope of success HS and fear of failure FF and investigated the effects of input condition handwritten vs. keyboard , administration online vs. computer vs. human experimenter and picture-position for each of these two components. Therefore 140 undergraduates were randomly assigned to 18 experimental groups of a counterbalance within-between-design and assessed with the Thematic-Apperception-Test TAT; Heckhausen, 1963 . The outcome is that handwriting increases the HS-score, whereby FF-score did not differ in typed and handwritten answers. People instructed by human experimenter show higher FF and lower HS compared to computer based tested people in the labor and online. There is no statistical significant interaction effect of administration and input condition. There is either no position effect for any of these motive-components. The TAT seems to be more robust than commonly thought.

Keywords

• implicit motive,achievement,input,administration,position

References

1. Atkinson, J. W. & Birch, D. (1970). The dynamics of action. New York: Wiley.
2. Atkinson, J. W., Bongort, K. & Price, L. H. (1977). Explorations using computer simulation to comprehend thematic apperceptive measurement of motivation. Motivation and Emotion, 1, 1-27. doi: 10.1007/BF00997578
3. Bernecker, K., & Job, V. (2011). Assessing implicit motives with an online version of the picture story exercise. Motivation and Emotion, 35(3), 251-266. doi: 10.1007/s11031-010-9175-8
4. Blankenship, V. (1987). A computer-based measure of resultant achievement motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 361–372. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.53.2.361
5. Blankenship, V. (2010). Computer-based modelling, assessment, and coding of implicit motives. In O.C. Schultheiss & J.C. Brunstein (Eds.), Implicit motives (pp. 186-209). New York: Oxford University Press.
6. Blankenship, V. & Zoota, A. (1998). Comparing power imagery in TATs written by hand or on the computer. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments & Computers, 30 (3), 441-448. doi:10.3758/BF03200677
7. Breidebach, G. (2012). Bildungsbenachteiligung – warum die einen nicht können und die anderen nicht wollen [Educational disadvantage – why some can’t and others don’t want]. Hamburg: Kovacs.
8. Covington, M. V. & Roberts, B. W. (1994). Self-worth and college achievement: Motivational and personality correlates. In P. R. Pintrich, D. R. Brown & C. E. Weinstein (Eds.), Student motivation, cognition and learning (pp. 157-188). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

9. Dee, T. S. (2005). A teacher like me: does race, ethnicity, or gender matter? The American Economic Review, 95 (2), 158-165. doi: 10.1257/000282805774670446
10. Gross, T. (2007). Mensch und Computer [Human and Computer]. München: Oldenbourg.
11. Gruber, N. (2014). Ist eine Computerversion bei der Messung impliziter Motive der Papier-Bleistift-Version überlegen? Eine Untersuchung am Beispiel des TAT nach Heckhausen [Is a computer-version superior to the paper- pencil-version in measuring implicit motives? An investigation using the TAT/PSE of Heckhausen]. Regensburg: Roderer.
12. Heckhausen, H. (1963). Hoffnung und Furcht in der Leistungsmotivation.[Hope and fear components of achievement motivation]. Meisenheim am Glan: Anton Hain.
13. Hewson, C. M., Laurent, D. & Vogel, D. M. (1996). Proper methodologies for psychological and sociological studies conducted via the Internet. Behaviour Research Methods, Instruments & Computers, 28 (2), 186-191. doi: 10.3758/BF03204763
14. Hofer, J., Busch, H., Bond, M. H., Kärtner, K., Kiessling, F., & Law, R.(2010). Is self-determined functioning a universal prerequisite for motive–goal congruence? Examining the domain of achievement in three cultures. Journal of Personality, 78 (2), 747-779. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00632.x
15. Jensen, K., Kaptchuk, T. J., Kirsch, I., Raicek, J., Lindstrom, K. M., … Kong, J. (2012). Non-conscious activation of placebo and nocebo pain responses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America, 109 (39), 15959-15964. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1202056109
16. Klinger, E. (1967). Modeling effects on achievement imagery. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 7, 49- 62. doi: 10.1037/h0024936
17. Kreuzpointner, L., Simon, P. & Theis, F. J. (2010). The ad-coefficient as a descriptive measure of the with- group agreement of ratings. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 63 (2), 341-360. doi: 10.1348/000711009X465647
18. Lesser, G. L., Krawitz, R. N. & Packard, R. (1963). Experimental arousal on achievement motive in adolescent girls. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 66 (19), 59-66. doi: 10.1037/h0042942
19. Lundy, A. C. (1985). The reliability of the thematic apperception test. Journal of personality assessment, 49, 141- 145. doi: 10.1207/s15327752jpa4902_6
20. Morgan, C. D. & Murray, H. A. (1935). A method for investigating fantasies: The thematic apperception test. Achieves of Neurological Psychiatry, 34, 289-306. doi: 10.1001/archneuropsyc.1935.02250200049005
21. Pang, J. S. (2010). The achievement motive: A review of theory and assessment of N Achievement, hope of success and fear of failure. In O. C. Schultheiss & J. C. Brunstein (Eds.), Implicit motives (pp. 30-70). New York: Oxford University Press.
22. Pang, J. S. & Schultheiss, O. C. (2005). Assessing implicit motives in U.S. college students: Effects of picture type and position, gender and ethnicity, and cross-cultural comparisons. Journal of Personality Assessment, 85 (3), 280-294. doi: 10.1207/s15327752jpa8503_04
23. Reumann, D. (1982). Ipsative behavioural variability and the quality of thematic apperceptive measurement of the need for achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43 (5), 1098-1110. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.43.5.1098
24. Ricciutu, H. N. (1954). The prediction of academic grades with a projective test of achievement motivation. Princeton: Educational Testing Service.
25. Schultheiss, O. C. (2001). Manual for the assessment of hope of success and fear of failure. English translation of Heckhausen’s need achievement measures. Unpublished scoring manual. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
26. Schultheiss, O.C., Liening, S. & Schad, D. (2008). The reliability of a picture story exercise measure of implicit motives: Estimates of internal consistency, retest reliability, and ipsative stability. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 1560-1571. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2008.07.008
27. Schultheiss, O. C. & Pang, J. S. (2007). Measuring implicit motives. In: R.W. Robins, R.C. Fraley & R.F. Krueger. Handbook of research methods in personality psychology. (pp. 322-345). New York: Guilford.
28. Schultheiss, O. C., & Schultheiss, M. (2014). Implicit Motive Profile Analysis: An If-Then Contingency Approach to the Picture-Story Exercise. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8(1), 1-16. doi: 10.1111/spc3.12082
29. Smith, C. P. (1992). Motivation and personality. Handbook of thematic content analysis. New York: Cambridge University Press.
30. Tuerlinckx, F., De Boeck, P. & Lens, W. (2002). Measuring needs with the Thematic Apperception Test: A psychometric study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 448-461. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.82.3.448
31. Winter, D. G. (1993). Power, affiliation, and war. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 532-545. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.65.3.532