"Task planning and energy expended: Exploration of how goals influence performance": Correction to Earley et al

Abstract

Reports an error in "Task planning and energy expended: Exploration of how goals influence performance" by P. Christopher Earley, Pauline Wojnaroski and William Prest ( Journal of Applied Psychology , 1987[Feb], Vol 72[1], 107-114). Table 1 on page 109 appeared with reversed labels for the high and low conditions. The corrected Table 1 is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1987-17299-001 .) Although many studies demonstrate the effectiveness of goal setting in organizations, it is unclear how goals actually influence performance. The present studies examined the effect of assigned goals and task information on performance, energy expended, and task planning or organizing. In Study 1, a 2×2 (Information×Goal) design was used. Subjects were 72 undergraduates working on a business simulation. In Study 2, 129 male and female workers from a service organization and a moving company responded to a survey assessing an individual's goal setting, job training, energy expended during a typical task performance, and task planning undertaken prior to performance. The results of both studies demonstrated that goal setting and task training influenced the dependent variables. In addition to influencing an individual's energy expended (effort and persistence), a specific goal led an individual to plan and organize more than did an individual given a general goal (i.e., "do your best"). The results of both studies suggest that goal setting and task-relevant information influence performance, in part, through their influence on energy expended and planning. (22 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)