Chapter 15: Goal Setting

What evidence is there to suggest goal setting is effective?

Locke's theories concluded that goal setting works very well, more than 90% of all general psychology studies show that goal setting has a consistent and powerful effect on behavior, whether it is used with elementary school children or professional scientists and whether for brainstorming or for loading logs onto trucks. Goals of moderate difficulty, both short- and long-term goals, the presence of feedback on progress toward goal attainment, specificity of goals, public acknowledgement of goals, commitment to goal attainment, participants' input in the goal-setting process, and use of a combination of difficult goals all enhance the effectiveness on goal setting in sport and exercise environments. Research showed that specific goals that were both short and long-term that were moderately to very difficult were associated with the best performances. In physical education, they found that goal setting influences intrinsic motivation and exercise adherence as well as persistence and effort in physical education students.

what are smart goals

S- Specific. Goals should indicate precisely what is to be accomplished or achieved. M- Measurable. Goals should be quantifiable. A- Action oriented. Goals should indicate something that needs to be done, specific actions to achieve the stated goal. R- Realistic. Goals should be achievable given various constraints. T- Timely. Goals should be achievable in a reasonable amount of time. S- Self-determined. Goals should be set by, or with input from, the participant.

what are the two mechanisms that explain benefits of goal setting

a. Indirect thought process •Goals lead to changes in psychological factors which can influence performance. b. Direct mechanistic view Goals influence performance in one of four direct ways: •goals direct attention to important elements of the skill being performed •goals mobilize performer efforts (providing incentives) •goals prolong performer persistence •goals foster the development of new learning strategies.

what are the barriers of goal setting?

convincing students athletes and exercisers to set goals, failing to set specific goals, setting too many goals too soon, failing to adjust goals when they are not being achieved, failing to set performance and process goals, not initiating goal setting evaluation and follow up procedures

outcome goals

focus on a competitive result of an event like winning a race, earning a medal, or scoring points. Achieving these goals depends not only on your own efforts but also on the ability and play of your opponent.

objective goals

focus on attaining a specific standard of proficiency on a task, usually within a specified time

performance goals

focuses on achieving standards or performance objectives independently of other competitors, usually on the basis of comparisons with one's own previous performances

process goals

focuses on the actions an individual must engage in during performance to execute or perform well.

how does the text define goal setting?

goal setting is a motivation technique looking whether setting specific difficult goals improve performance more than setting no goals, setting easy goals, or setting the general goal of simply doing your best. Motivation depends on goal setting.

what are the major principles of effective goal setting

•Set specific goals •Set moderately difficult but realistic goals •Set long- and short term goals •set performance, process and outcome goals •set practice and competition goals •record goals •develop goal achievement strategies •consider participants' personalities and motivations •foster an individuals goal commitment •provide goal support •provide evaluation of and feedback about goals

subjective goals

•Subjective Goals: general statements of intent that are not measurable or objective (I want to do well)