Goal difficulty, anxiety and performance

This study reports a detailed investigation of the interaction between goal setting, anxiety and perceptuo-motor performance. Forty-four subjects completed familiarization, control and treatment conditions in which they were required to perform a series of perceptual speed trials. In the control condition, subjects were assigned a vague, general goal of 'do your best', whilst in the treatment condition, increasingly difficult, specific goals were assigned. During each condition, subjective goal difficulty, goal acceptance, performance, cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and self-confidence were examined. The results suggested that the manipulation of the control and treatment conditions were successful. In the treatment condition, an increase in cognitive anxiety and a reduction in self-confidence accompanied increasing goal difficulty but these remained stable in the control condition. Performance was greater when 'do your best' as opposed to 'very easy' goals were assigned, but this situation was reversed when 'very hard' goals were assigned. The results of these laboratory-based findings are discussed with particular reference to the implications for practitioners in applied settings.