Abstract
Numerous studies of goal setting have found that specific and difficult or high-level goals lead to higher performance than vague (do best), easy goals, or no goals. However, often it has been asserted in the literature that specific goals as such lead to higher performance than vague goals even though goal theory makes no such claim. However, no previous study (with one partial exception) has actually separated the effects of goal level from those of goal specificity. It was predicted that when the two goal attributes were separated, goal level would affect level of performance whereas goal specificity would affect the variability of performance. Two experiments were conducted to test these hypotheses. The first used a reaction time task and the second an idea-generation task. The results of both studies supported the hypotheses. However, one of the two present studies and two previous studies found that high goal levels can also affect performance variance.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
