This study investigated the cognitive styles, attributions, and self-evaluations of 40 gifted girls and 40 gifted boys, grades 6 through 8. Informational attributional ratings for task difficulty, luck, ability, and effort were studied in the context of: (1) an individual non-competitive goal structure; (2) a competitive goal structure; (3) success-failure feedback conditions; and (4) gender. Efficacy, satisfaction, reward, and anxiety were also assessed. Subjects performed a task under two conditions, non-competitive and competitive with the results manipulated for success/failure outcome. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups: success followed by success, success followed by failure, failure followed by success, and failure followed by failure. Results revealed that outcome was a critical factor for most variables. Boys approached both tasks with more optimism and regarded the task as more difficult. The competitive condition elicited a diminished perception of ability for girls. Main effects for sex were obtained for efficacy, luck, difficulty and skill. Goal structure influenced some ratings. Unexpectedly, anxiety and effort ratings were non-significant for sex or success-failure outcomes. A task-focused mastery-oriented approach was common in which high effort was maintained in the face of failure. Contains 20 references. (DB)