The Effects Of Free-Set Goals On Wrestling Performance And Improvement

Date of Graduation

Summer 1998

Degree

Master of Science in Psychology

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Thomas Kane

Abstract

Past goal research has been limited to the study of assigned, quantifiable goals. This field study expands goal-setting research by identifying and measuring dimension of goals set freely by athletes (i.e., free-set goals). This research investigated the relationship between the free-set goals athletes set and antecedents and consequences. Criteria were collected from 216 high school wrestlers participating at a team wrestling camp. Prior performance, self-efficacy, goal difficulty, and goal specificity measures were used to tap into goal related factors. Six hypotheses were constructed based on prior goal setting research. Results partially supported four of the six study hypotheses. In sum, results indicated that many of the criteria associated with free-set goals were consistent with past research findings pertaining to quantitative goals.

Subject Categories

Psychology

Copyright

© Timothy R. Baltes

Citation-only

Dissertation/Thesis

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