Glossary
Goal setting (behavior)
What is Goal Setting (Behavior)?
Behavioral goal setting means setting or agreeing on a target for an action someone will perform. “Complete a practice exercise” is a behavioral goal. “Get a higher exam score” is an outcome goal.
Example of a Behavioral Goal
A student who wants to improve in mathematics agrees to complete one practice exercise each weekday. This gives the student an action to track instead of only a result to hope for. Adding details about when, where, or how often to act can also form part of action planning.
Another example is “Take a walk after dinner on weekdays,” compared with the broader outcome goal “Improve my fitness.” The first names an action that can be recorded; it does not guarantee the desired fitness result.
Why the Distinction Matters
A behavioral goal makes it possible to ask, “Did I do the thing I intended to do?” That question differs from “Did I get the result I wanted?” Both are useful. Completing practice exercises and learning the material are related, but they are not identical.
Behavioral goals can make daily action clearer. They do not make action effortless or remove barriers such as lack of time, support, or skill. Nor are they automatically better than outcome goals in every situation.
The Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy v1 lists goal setting for behavior as technique 1.1. This identifies what an intervention includes; it does not measure how well a particular goal works.