Does Goal Orientation Modulate Satisfaction With Cognitive Performance in Different Age Groups?

Objectives: The current experiment tested the causal effect of goal orientation on subjective satisfaction with performance on a cognitive task.

Method: A sample of N = 231 young, middle-aged, and older adults (21-79 years) completed a dot-memory task in one of 3 goal orientation conditions aiming for improvement, maintenance, or avoidance of decline in performance.

Results: Bayesian analyses showed that in all age groups, goal orientation influenced actual performance, but did not affect perceived performance or performance satisfaction. Performance satisfaction was positively correlated with perceived performance, but not with actual performance.

Discussion: The findings suggest that whether goal orientation benefits older adults' subjective well-being might depend on (a) the goal content (previous research targeted personal goals) or (b) whether it enhances their perception of the status quo (and thus reduces the discrepancy between actual and desired states). This study contributes to a better understanding of the role of goal orientation in subjective well-being across adulthood.