The application of conditional reasoning to alternative indices of achievement motivation and failure avoidance

This study examined two instruments designed to test the generalizability of James' Conditional Reasoning paradigm across item formats. Consistent with James' prototypical instrument, achievement motivation and failure avoidance were the constructs of interest for both the Inferential Analogy Test (lAT) and Inferential Relations Test (IRT). Employing average test score as the performance criterion, analyses on lAT data acquired from sequential samples of Introductory Psychology students generated initial and cross-validities of .53 and .33, respectively. Composite key reliability estimation was relatively robust (.70), and indicants of construct validity were encouraging. Collectively, these results (both a priori and a posteriori) provide sufficient evidence to warrant further developmental research. More importantly, they underscore the vitality of James' conditional reasoning paradigm.