Effect of task and goal interdependence on achievement, cooperation, and support among elementary school students

• Compares the effects of two types of positive interdependence.
• Measured several dependent variables: achievement cooperative attitudes, personal social support, academic social support.
• Study took place in Italy with 3rd to 5th grade elementary students.
• Participants were randomly assigned to conditions.
• Highly controlled field experimental study.
• Important contribution to social interdependence theory.

Two studies investigated the relative impact of goal and task interdependence on achievement, attitudes toward cooperation, peer academic support, and peer personal support. Third, 4th, and 5th grade Italian students were randomly assigned to conditions. In the first study the effects of three interdependence conditions (task and goal interdependence, task interdependence and goal independence, and no interdependence (i.e., individual efforts) were compared. In study two, the effects of goal and task interdependence were compared with the effects of goal interdependence alone. In both studies the highest performance was found in the positive goal and task interdependence condition as well as more cooperative attitudes and greater personal social support in study one and greater academic social support in study two.