7.4.6 Discovering Goal Mechanisms
We documented the directive effect of goals by showing that when feedback is given for multiple performance dimensions, performance only improves on those dimensions for which goals are set (Locke and Bryan, 1969). The effort dimension was validated implicitly by showing that people with hard goals work harder, and later others did studies involving direct ratings of effort. LaPorte and Nath (1976) and Latham and Locke (1975) showed that goals affect persistence. Direction, intensity and persistence, of course, are the three aspects of motivated action. Each of these mechanisms is easily verifiable by introspection. Knowledge is another goal mechanism; this is discussed in Section 7.4.11.