The effectiveness of distal outcome goals, proximal plus distal outcome
goals, and being urged to “do your best” interventions on self-efficacy and
transfer was investigated in a field experiment involving government
employees (N 72). Six weeks after the training session took place, both
participants who were urged to do their best and those who set proximal
plus distal goals had increased transfer (that is, generalization and
maintenance) relative to those who set outcome goals. There was no
significant difference in the transfer level of participants urged to do their
best and those who set proximal plus distal goals.