Achievement goals affect memory encoding

Abstract The present study examined how achievement goals affect memory encoding (i.e., relational and item-specific processes). To achieve this, we conducted five experiments using valid behavioral measures including adjusted ratio of clustering (ARC) scores and recognition performance and manipulating the instructions for achievement goals. In each experiment, participants were provided with mastery-approach goals (to develop their own mental ability) or performance-approach goals (to demonstrate their strong memory abilities in relation to others). Participants in the control condition were not given any goals. Our results showed that the ARC scores in the performance-approach goal condition were lower than those in the control condition, whereas there was no significant difference in ARC scores between the mastery-approach goal and the control condition. In contrast, recognition performance in the control condition did not significantly differ from those in either goal condition. These findings suggest that achievement goals affect the relational process rather than the item-specific process and that performance-approach goals discourage the relational process.