为了回应Locke提出的“目标设置理论仍然需要发展”的观点，本文从认知心理学的角度对目标设置理论进行了检验。结果表明：设置明确且有一定难度的目标比设置模糊或一般性目标会使被试产生更高水平的努力，从而提高成绩；设置明确但难度偏低的目标与设置模糊目标的成绩间并无显著性差异；被试对目标的可接受性程度越高，成绩越好；任务难度变量对目标难度与成绩之间的调节效应要通过被试对策略的发掘和使用以及在时间方面给予一定的压力才能得到体现。

In order to response the idea of Locke that goal setting theory still needs to be developed. The paper examines the goal setting theory from the perspective of cognitive psychology. The results showed that setting specific goals with certain difficulty can make subject produce a higher level of effort than setting vague or general goals, which improves the performance in turn; the results of setting specific but less difficult goals have no significant difference compared with that of nonspecific goals; the easier the subjects accept goals, the better performance they show; the moderating effect of task difficulty variable to goal difficulty and performance variable can be showed by exploration and use of the strategy of subjects and tolerance of time pressure.