Ward, P., & Carnes, M. (2002).
Effects of posting self-set goals on collegiate football players' skill execution during practice and games.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
35, 1-12.
The effects of self-set goals and public posting on athletic
performance of 5 collegiate football players was studied. All
players were linebackers on a National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics Division II football team. The
dependent variables were the percentage of correct occasions when
the linebacker (a) positioned himself to cover a specified area
on the field during a pass or from the line of scrimmage during a
run; (b) moved to the correct position in response to the
positioning of the offense; and (c) tackled and stopped the
progress of the ball carrier. A multiple baseline design across
behaviors showed an immediate increase in the practice
performance of the players and a corresponding increase in game
performance following introduction of the independent variable.
This study extends research using public posting in sport by
demonstrating the effects of player-determined goals and public
posting of goal attainment.
DESCRIPTORS: _public posting, goal setting, athletic performance,
football