Intentional vs arousal effects of goal-setting

The effects of goal-setting on performance can be interpreted as operating through intentions or, as a rival hypothesis, due to increased arousal. The distinction is important, since (1) intentional effects on performance would bear a functional relationship to level of task difficulty or complexity different from that of arousal effects and (2) arousal effects on performance would depend on level of individual trait anxiety. This paper reports results of two laboratory experiments attempting to isolate and compare the magnitude of intentional vs arousal effects of goal-settings. One study used a proofreading task in an “incidental learning” paradigm and the other used an anagram task with three levels of difficulty of items; both studies compared dependent behaviors of high- and low-anxiety individuals. Results from both studies offer relatively strong support for the intentions hypothesis and little evidence in favor of an arousal interpretation.