It was suggested that the motivational effects of knowledge of results were a function of the goal setting activity such knowledge induces. A laboratory experiment using a computation task tested knowledge of total score by itself for experimental effect on performance. When subjects were classified according to their a posteriori performance-goal descriptions, significant performance effects were found. In addition the sooner subjects were able to memorize the rule needed for task performance, the higher became their overall performance.
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Locke et al. (1966) studied this question.