Perception of goal proximity, latency and duration of action plans, and worry in relation to goal distance in time and personality characteristics.

128 male high school students were tested for achievement motives, future-time orientation and perceived intrinsic instrumentality, and answered several questions related to future goals or tests at different distances in time. Success-oriented individuals and individuals with high future-time orientation perceived the goals as closer, planned to initiate preparations for the goals earlier, and planned to devote more time in the preparation than failure-oriented individuals and those with low future-time orientation. Interactions of motives and future-time orientation on the perception of goal proximity and planned time of initiating goal preparations did also emerge. Motives and future-time orientation affected the dependent variables most when the goals were at some distance in time (i.e., 1 yr. and 3 mo.), and the effects were minimized for the goal relatively close in time (i.e., 1 wk.). Individuals with high instrumentality report that they would start preparations earlier, devote more time to all goal preparations, and perceive more worry for the goal closest in time than individuals with low instrumentality. In addition, interactions of motives and instrumentality and of future-time orientation and instrumentality are presented. The results are interpreted and discussed in relation to the dynamics of action theory of Atkinson and Birch and other theories of achievement motivation.