Effect of previously assigned goals on self-set goals and performance.

Abstract : Subjects were assigned goals, ranging from easy to impossible, on one trial and then allowed to choose their own goals on the next trial. Subjects felt a high degree of freedom of choice on the latter trial and tended to choose harder goals if their earlier assigned goals had been easy and to choose goals if their previously assigned goals had been hard. Despite these changes, subjects were heavily influenced in their self-set goals by their previously assigned goals. Performance on both trials was determined by ability, goal level, goal squared (quadratic trend), goal acceptance, and by a goal-ability interaction. (Author)