To say that the relation of goal difficulty to performance is curvilinear means that
A) performance levels off as the limits of a person's ability are approached.
B) goal difficulty increases the closer a person comes to attaining the goal.
C) goal difficulty levels off the closer a person comes to attaining the goal.
D) performance increases as the limits of a person's ability are approached.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A curvilinear relation means that the relation between two variables is not a straight line, but a curve. In this case, the relation between goal difficulty and performance is not linear, but curved, which means that as goal difficulty increases, performance initially improves, but eventually levels off and may even decline as the limits of a person's ability are reached. Thus, option A is the correct answer.

To Say That the Relation of Goal Difficulty to Performance