Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology
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J Clin Exp Neuropsychol · Dec 2002
Comparative StudyAssigned versus self-set goals and their impact on the performance of brain-damaged patients.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role played by goal difficulty and goal origin (i.e., self-set vs. assigned) on the performance of patients with brain injuries in a simple arithmetic task. Eighty-seven patients with either cerebral vascular accidents or traumatic brain injuries were investigated. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) one in which a specific, high goal was assigned, (2) one in which a "do your best" goal was given, and (3) one in which a personal goal has to be stated. ⋯ Self-set goals were attained by most of the patients and only 1 patient showed a high discrepancy between self-set goal and actual performance. These findings suggest that goal origin and goal difficulty are important moderators in the goal setting process. Furthermore, patients with brain injuries do not necessarily set unrealistic high goals.