DETERMINANTS OF LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE IN AN ASSOCIATIVE MEMORY SUBSTITUTION TASK - TASK CONSTRAINTS, INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES, VOLITION, AND MOTIVATION

The way that cognitive abilities, learning task characteristics, and m otivational and volitional processes combine to explain individual dif ferences in performance and learning was investigated. A substitution task was studied over practice, and it was discovered that students us ed two different strategies: a learning strategy focused on memorizati on and a performance strategy in which students persisted in scanning items. Five experiments investigated strategy differences and the abil ity and motivational correlates of task performance. First, ability co rrelates of performance and strategy use were demonstrated. Next, redu cing task difficulty increased use of the learning strategy. With peri odic memory tests, effective reliance on the learning strategy was inc reased, and task performance correlations with reasoning ability were lowered. Finally, a combination of self-focus and goal-setting interve ntions increased both general performance levels and use of the learni ng strategy. Results are discussed in terms of the goal of developing a more comprehensive understanding of learner differences.