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Testing a Computational Model of the Goal-Level Effect: An Example of a Neglected Methodology

Ohio University

Dan J. Putka

Human Resources Research Organization

Charles A. Scherbaum

Baruch College

To encourage the use of computational modeling in organizational behavior research, an example computational model is developed and rigorous tests of it presented. Specifically, a computational model based on control theory was created to test the theory’s explanation of the goal-level effect (e.g., higher goals lead to higher performance). Data from simulations of the model were compared with the behavior of 32 undergraduate students performing a scheduling task under various within-subject manipulations and across time. Correlational analyses indicated that the model accounted for most of the participants’data, with coefficients between the model and each participant’s behavior mostly in the high 90s.

Key Words: computational modeling • goals • control theory • self-regulation • computer simulation

Organizational Research Methods, Vol. 8, No. 1, 100-127 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1094428104271998


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