Multi-Motive Prediction of Academic Success
The present investigation is part of a larger series of studies on the influence of motivation variables on reactions to psychological stress (1, 3, 4) . This study was undertaken as a test of the hypothesis that the effectiveness of behavior serving one of a person's needs will be reduced when the behavior threatens the satisfaction of another operative need.8 As has been discussed more fully elsewhere ( I ) , it is our contention that behavior is developed in response to, and as a function of its adequacy to reduce one or more present tension or need systems of the individual. Where the response system serves a need by providing a means for its reduction, without in turn giving rise to an increase in tension because of the arousal or increase of some other need system, a significant correlation should be found between a measure of the need served and the extent to which the person engaged in the corresponding behavior (e.g., need for achievement and grades obtained in an academic setting). However, where the behavior itself produces a conflicting need, or leads to events which threaten to frustrate satisfaction of another need, the correlation ought to be reduced. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that this latter is the case where a behavior at one time serves one and frustrates, or threatens to frustrate, a second important need. PROCEDURE Subjects.-70 college sophomore wonien served as Ss. They were tested during regular class procedures in a general psychology course early in the college year, and were naive as to the purposes of the investigation. The criterion.-This study was designed to determine the effects of non-intellective variables upon academic achievement. In order to study that relationship it was necessary to employ a measure of academic achievement which would be relatively unaffected by intellecrual ability. The Achievement Index (AIi) used in this study was the grade point average' obtained by a student in all course work during the sophomore year minus the grade point average predicted from the score on the verbal portion of the Scholastic Aptltude Test (SATv) (6) . As this score has been found to have a consistently high correlation with academic performance ( 7 ) , it was considered to be a reasonable basis for equating ability. Thus the criterion which we sought to predict was overand under-achievement in relation to performance predicted on the basis of ability. To the extent that the SATv accounts for intellective factors in the college