Goal setting practice questions.

A 400 m hurdler and her coach agree on the target 'to run 58.5 s at the regional final, 0.8 s faster than my own season best'. Which type of goal is this?

• A performance goal, judged against her own previous standard
• An outcome goal, judged against the placings of her rivals
• A process goal, judged by the technique used at each hurdle
• A subjective goal, judged by how satisfied she feels afterwards

Answer: A performance goal, judged against her own previous standard

A performance goal is measured against the athlete's own previous standard, so it remains reachable even if the field is unusually strong. An outcome goal would be a placing, which depends on who else starts and how they run.

A judo coach notices that the athletes who set only outcome goals report the most anxiety before competition. Which feature of outcome goals best accounts for this?

• They must be set for a whole season rather than a single session
• Their achievement depends on how rivals perform
• They cannot be expressed in measurable terms
• They are reviewed by the coach rather than by the athlete

Answer: Their achievement depends on how rivals perform

An outcome goal can be missed even after a personal best, because achievement depends on opponents as well as on the athlete, so control over the result is only partial and worry rises. Performance and process goals keep the standard inside the athlete's own performance.

A coach divides a squad of club rowers: one group is told to 'do your best' on the ergometer and the other is given a specific, difficult but attainable target time. What does Locke and Latham's goal-setting theory predict?

• Both groups improve by a similar amount because effort is equal
• The 'do your best' group performs better because it feels less pressure
• The specific, difficult goal group performs better
• The specific goal group performs worse once the target feels difficult

Answer: The specific, difficult goal group performs better

Specificity directs attention to the standard to be reached and difficulty mobilises effort, so a specific hard goal outperforms a vague instruction. The advantage disappears if the goal is rejected or if no feedback on progress is given.

A hockey coach writes goals into every session plan. According to Locke and Latham, goals raise performance through four mechanisms. Which of the following is one of them?

• They lower the arousal of the performer in the hours before competition
• They remove the need for feedback during training
• They replace intrinsic motivation with an external reward
• They direct attention to the aspects of the task that matter

Answer: They direct attention to the aspects of the task that matter

Goals work by directing attention, mobilising effort, increasing persistence and prompting the development of new strategies. They do not replace feedback; without knowledge of progress a goal stops guiding behaviour.

A swimmer's long-term goal is to qualify for the national championship in eighteen months. Why does her coach also set a series of short-term goals?

• Short-term goals give frequent feedback and sustain motivation
• Short-term goals remove the need to evaluate the long-term goal at all
• Short-term goals are outcome goals and are easier to control
• Short-term goals prevent the swimmer from becoming task-oriented

Answer: Short-term goals give frequent feedback and sustain motivation

Short-term goals convert a distant target into steps that can be reviewed within weeks, so progress is visible and motivation is maintained. The long-term goal still has to be evaluated and, where necessary, revised.

A club coach gives every junior in a volleyball squad the same target of adding 8 cm to a personal best standing jump within four weeks, and most of them stop trying within a fortnight. Which principle of goal setting has been broken?

• Goals should be recorded in writing before the training block begins
• Goals must be set by the coach rather than by the athlete
• Goals must be difficult yet realistic and accepted by the athlete
• Goals must be evaluated only at the end of the season

Answer: Goals must be difficult yet realistic and accepted by the athlete

Difficulty raises performance only while the athlete still believes the target is reachable; beyond that point commitment collapses and effort falls away. An imposed goal that is rejected behaves like no goal at all.