Erratum to Latham, Mitchell, and Dossett

Abstract

Reports an error in the original article by Gary P. Latham, Terence R. Mitchell, and Dennis L. Dossett ( Journal of Applied Psychology , 1978, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 163-171). In Table 1 of the article, the mean for assigned goal setting and public recognition is incorrect. The corrected mean is given. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1979-02470-001 .) In Study 1, 76 engineers/scientists either participated in the setting of, or were assigned, specific behavioral goals during their performance appraisal. Participative goal setting resulted in more difficult goals being set than was the case when the goals were assigned. Perceptions of goal difficulty, however, were not significantly different in the 2 goal-setting conditions. In Study 2, the analysis of the performance data collected 6 mo later on 132 engineers/scientists revealed main effects for both goal setting and anticipated rewards. Only participative goal setting led to significantly higher performance than a "do your best" and a control group condition. There was no significant difference between the performance of the latter 2 conditions despite the fact that the individuals in the do-your-best group received knowledge of results. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)