Personality Correlates of Achievement Imagery: Theoretical and Methodological Implications

Abstract

Certain scoring procedures for the McClelland-Atkinson projective measure of achievement motivation were examined. Traditionally, achievement imagery (AI), task imagery (TI), and unrelated imagery (UI) responses have been scored as though they form a continuum, with AI indicating high achievement motivation and UI low motivation. The findings indicate that the three responses are non-monotonic; on selected personality variables, Ss responding predominantly with AI were similar to those with UI responses. Both AI and UI Ss were significantly different from those responding predominantly with TI. Implications of these findings for research design and for the meaning of achievement motivation are discussed.