Effects of Goal-Setting on the Discrimination Learning of Children who are Retarded and Children who are Nonretarded

Abstract

Children diagnosed as retarded and children who were nonretarded at the same level of vocabulary and perceptual competence were required to complete a series of five-choice discrimination tasks. An experimental group was given feedback and provided with goals for achievement which were set as accelerat- ing standards on a tower of lights. A control group was not given feedback and not required to strive for such standards. Results indicated that the feedback and accelerating-standards condition did have a positive effect on learning, but only during the second half of the series of trials. It was also shown that the children who were nonretarded attained a higher level of learning than the subjects who were retarded, also during the second half of the training period. Implications for teaching and training are outlined.

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