Behavior Analysis in Sports: Goal Setting Improves On- and Off-field Behaviors in Soccer Players
Date
2-18-2025
Faculty Mentor
C. Renee Renda, Psychology
Files
Submission Type
Conference Proceeding
Location
9:15-9:25 am | Houston Cole Library, 11th Floor
Description
Please note: no video is available for this presentation.
Goal setting is a common behavioral intervention that involves selecting an observable and measurable behavior and creating clearly defined, objective criteria that indicate when the goal has been met. Although ample evidence suggests that goal setting is an effective intervention in sports, few studies have examined collaborative goal setting (i.e., goals that are determined by players and coaches). Additionally, prior research has focused on improving specific behaviors for player positions, which may limit the utility of goal setting as a team-wide intervention. The present research used a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of collaborative goal setting for on- or off-field behaviors in eight soccer players. Throughout all phases, participants self-recorded their behavior. In baseline, participants and their coaches selected a measurable behavior to improve. In the intervention phase, participants and their coaches set long- and short-term goals. Participants attended weekly individual meetings to receive feedback and set new short-term goals. All participants in the current study showed improvements in their selected behaviors, and seven (out of eight) participants met their long-term goal. High social validity ratings (e.g., satisfaction with procedures and results) were obtained from players and coaches. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research will be discussed.
Keywords
student research, psychology
Rights
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Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Jackson-Talmadge, Malachi, "Behavior Analysis in Sports: Goal Setting Improves On- and Off-field Behaviors in Soccer Players" (2025). JSU Student Symposium 2025. 26.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/ce_jsustudentsymp_2025/26
