The results were highly similar for males and females. The similarity between the male and female results is noteworthy but the very poor predictability of the Mid group subjects argues against the use of the PIT for college entrance selection purposes. The fact that the successful predictions of the study were based on a four year trial period attests to the long term interpretive reliability of PIT measures and the stability of motivation factors in college academic achievement. While it may be argued that the PIT method of assessment does not directly measure needs or motives, the same can be said of all measures of motivation, whether they are based on drive deprivation, self-reports, or observational judgments. PIT measures reveal internal and unconscious experiences.
Facial expression is an important form of body language that deserves further research.
The PIT measures of motivation used in this study are based on synchronic need associations. These measures may perhaps be best interpreted as indicators of beliefs about how needs simultaneously combine and interact with each other to promote satisfaction. A specific implication of the present study is that the most discriminating measures were located in the personal-social dimension rather than the competitive or combative dimensions. One might have expected that the competitive dimension would be the strongest dimension for predicting academic achievement since such achievement obviously involves competitive effort. A negative effect may be produced by frustrations created by unsuccessful attempts to satisfy affiliation desires.