AN INTERACTIVE APPROACH TO WORK MOTIVATION - THE EFFECTS OF COMPETITION, REWARDS, AND GOAL DIFFICULTY ON TASK-PERFORMANCE

This study examined the interactive effects of competition, rewards, a nd goal difficulty on task performance and goal commitment. Students w ere assigned to one of eight experimental conditions and participated in a computerized anagram solution task. Rewards significantly increas ed performance, especially along with difficult goals. Competition was not found to have an effect on goal commitment or task performance, a nd goal difficulty increased performance although the results did not reach statistical significance. Goal commitment was shown to have a di rect effect on task performance as opposed to a moderating role in the goal level-task performance relationship. A discussion of the finding s and suggestions for further research are included.