Final answer:
The claim that achievable standards yield the most behavioral benefits is true, as it ensures goals are challenging but realistic, fostering motivation and self-efficacy for better performance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that currently attainable standards offer the most behavioral benefits because higher performance levels are attained through challenging, yet achievable, standards is true. Setting goals that are achievable and appropriate necessitates planning and a realistic assessment of barriers, ensuring that the goals are also relevant and time-bound. This ethos supports performance improvements over time. For instance, the evolving nature of grade standards, where a 'C' grade might now be considered a 'B' or 'A', shows changing performance expectations. However, it's important that these standards remain challenging enough to motivate students to strive for higher achievement without making standards unattainably high or unrealistically low.
Moreover, the Yerkes-Dodson law suggests that task performance is optimal at a moderate level of arousal. While a lack of challenge (easy tasks) can lead to boredom and complacency, excessively difficult tasks with high levels of arousal may result in anxiety and performance decline. Therefore, appropriately challenging standards that foster a moderate level of arousal can lead to improved performance and self-efficacy as individuals are likely to engage more deeply and persistently when they believe a goal is within their grasp yet still requires effort to achieve.