Motivational influences on transfer of problem-solving strategies

Two experiments investigated the effect of achievement goals on the transfer of a problem-solving strategy in 7- and 11-year-old children. In the first experiment, motivational priming took place before the learning of the strategy, affecting the learning as well as the transfer of the strategy. In the second experiment, motivational priming took place after the learning of the strategy and before the transfer task, affecting only the process of transfer. Participants' self-reported achievement goals suggested that, in both experiments, participants high on performance-approach goals were less likely to transfer the strategy than participants low in performance-approach goals. This was found regardless of participants' age, perceived ability, and the high level of mastery goals that all participants endorsed.