In 1976, Muller and Spuhler found support for the proposition that self-concept influenced achievement. This experiment was designed to challenge their findings by demonstrating that when self-concept is lowered in a therapeutic manner, no deficit in achievement will result. The experimenter adjusted the self-concepts of college students regarding ability to learn a foreign language, and than measured performance on a paired-associates learning task. Subjects (N=16) were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions: self-concept lowered therapeutically, self-concept lowered counter-therapeutically, self-concept raised, and control. Self-concepts were raised or lowered by providing each subject with a false score on a foreign language aptitude test. When self-concept was lowered therapeutically, a very low aptitude score was presented nonjudgmentally and the acceptability of that score was emphasized. When self-concept was lowered counter-therapeutically, the score's unacceptability was emphasized. Each subject then learned a paired-associates task. The mean learning task performance level for the counter-therapeutically lowered group was inferior to those of the other three groups, which were equal. (Author)