The Development of Experimental Level of Aspiration Techniques for Group Administration*

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine whether it was feasible to develop group‐testing techniques suitable for obtaining experimental level of aspiration measures. Incorporating a number of desired characteristics which grew out of a review of the literature, three experimental level of aspiration techniques were developed and investigated empirically. These techniques yielded reliable derived aspiration scores possessing satisfactory distribution characteristics. Instructions asking for levels of aspiration expressed both as expectations and as goals were used, with neither type of instructions appearing to be clearly superior, although the latter produced higher aspiration scores and greater score dispersion. Aspiration measures derived from the three experimental techniques and from statements concerning regular course examinations showed generally low interrelationships. The results of this research indicate that it is feasible to develop experimental level of aspiration techniques suitable for group administration resembling the more commonly used individual procedures. Group techniques of the sort developed should facilitate research on the various problems that have been attacked in the level of aspiration area, by more economical collection of data on larger numbers of subjects.

Level of Aspiration Measures and College Achievement*

“…Both types of' instructions have been used in previous studies (3,7,8) and have been shown to produce different effects. The authors (9) found neither type to result in more reliable or more generalized scores, although the "Goal" type produced higher average goal discrepanoy scores arid greate~soore dispersion.…”

“…In most of the previous experimental level of aspiration studies individual testing procedures have been employed because of the complicated nature of the testing techniques required and because motor tasks were frequently utilized. In another paper (9) the writers have described the development of three experimental level of aspiration techniques suitable for group administration. Various tasks are included in these techniques but, in each case, several trials of the task are given, the subjects scoring their own performance after each trial and.…”

“…The purpose of this research was to provide some indication as to the amount and kind of relationship between general college achievement and goal discrepancy scores derived from certain group level of aspiration tasks recently developed by the authors (9). It was felt there was some reason to expect that the relationship might be a negative or curvilinear one.…”

The Relationship Between Group Experimental Level of Aspiration Measures and Self‐estimates of Personality1

“…The Retationship between Group Experimental Level of Aspiration ~2-group ailm1 nj stration (10). These group techniques were intended to parallel the classical individually a¢ministered level of aspiration methods, and were developed after a survey had.been made of the many methodological variations which are found in level of aspiration studies (9).…”