Achievement Motivation and the End-Effect

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between achievement motivation and the phenomenon referred to as the “end-effect.” 40 undergraduate students were assigned to either a High or a Low need for achievement (nAch) group on the basis of scores on the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, Achievement subscale. Performance on a 30-min. reaction time task was assessed in terms of decision time and movement time and a significant end-effect was found only for movement times for high need achievers. Based on movement and decision time data, it is proposed that the end-effect observed in these subjects resulted from increased effort during the final task period producing an increase in arousal.