Date of Award

8-1982

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. B. J. Fulton

Second Advisor

Dr. Norman Peterson

Third Advisor

Dr. Galen Alessi

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Researchers investigating the effects, of performance appraisals and. goal setting techniques have focused on laboratory (rather than field) settings and/or have relied on self-report or anecdotal data to draw their conclusions. The major objectives of the present study were to examine the effects of 1) goal setting on actual job performance in a community organizational setting and 2) performance appraisals on both subsequent job performance and goals set. Two male and two female counselors in a residential treatment center served as subjects in the study which utilized a multiple baseline design. The performance of l8 repetitive administrative/custodial tasks were measured as a function of goal setting and performance appraisals. The goal setting procedure alone had no consistent effect on subsequent behavior rates; however, under conditions of post-appraisal goal setting, task completion percentages for specific behaviors temporarily increased for three out of four subjects. Suggestions for future research are given.

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