Washington, Jan 20 (IANS) Those who value excellence and hard work do better than others on specific tasks when they are reminded of those values.

But when a task is presented as fun, researchers say, the same individuals often will do worse than those who say they are less motivated to achieve.

The findings suggest that two students may respond quite differently to a teacher's exhortation to strive for excellence, said University of Illinois (U-I) psychology professor, Dolores Albarracin, who conducted the research with William Hart, of the University of Florida.

The study also suggests that those who are 'chronically uninterested in achievement are not operating out of a desire to do badly, Albarracin said. Their differing responses simply may reflect the fact that they have different goals.

'The competitive mindset, the achievement mindset becomes a huge de-motivator for those who don't necessarily value excellence as much as they value their well-being, Albarracin said.

'Perhaps the reason they don't care to do well is because they want to do something else; they want to enjoy themselves - which is not a bad goal,' she said.

In four studies, the researchers evaluated how participants' attitudes toward achievement, called their 'chronic achievement motivation,' influenced their performance on various tasks.

The study appeared in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.