What Is the Difference Between a Mastery Orientation and a Performance

question 52

Essay

What is the difference between a mastery orientation and a performance orientation? Give an example of a child with each of these orientations as she works on an academic task.

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Definitions:

Inborn

Characteristics, qualities, or traits that are present from birth, not acquired through experience or learning.

Instinctual

Behaviors or responses that are inherent and automatic, not learned through experience. These reactions are deeply embedded in an organism's biology.

Materials Task

A methodological approach in cognitive or developmental psychology that involves manipulating physical materials to assess cognitive processing or learning outcomes.

Years of Schooling

The total number of years that an individual has spent in formal education.