The Path Goal Theory of Leader Effectiveness: An Operant Interpretation<sup>1</sup>
Academy of Management ReviewPublished 1 July 1977
Thomas C. Mawhinney, Jeffrey D. Ford
Citations38
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score14.40
SNIP6.11
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
Abstract
Concepts and terms of the “operant paradigm”, based on the empirical law of effect, are suggested as alternatives to the hypothetical path-goal motivation construct which provides the major premise of the path-goal theory of leadership. Hypotheses in the path-goal theory may be explained by acognitive arguments as well. The resulting interpretation supports the basic propositions comprising the path goal theory without supporting the validity of the motivational model. Advantages and disadvantages of the acognitive alternative premise for a path-goal theory are discussed.
Keywords
PsychologyNeuroscience
The American Catholic Sociological ReviewScience and Human Behavior
9,004 Citations1953Ernest Kilzer, B. F. Skinner
The American Journal of PsychologyThe Psychological Bulletin
4,254 Citations1904Judith P. Frankmann, Jeff Adams
This psychological bulletin to read is a very fan of this kind of book and one to remember is not only the PDF, but also the genre of the book.
Administrative Science QuarterlyA Path Goal Theory of Leader Effectiveness
2,956 Citations1971Robert J. House
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorON THE LAW OF EFFECT<sup>1</sup>
2,619 Citations1970R. J. Herrnstein
Experiments on single, multiple, and concurrent schedules of reinforcement find various correlations between the rate of responding and the rate or magnitude of reinforcement, which can be accounted for by a coherent system of equations.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorRELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE STRENGTH OF RESPONSE AS A FUNCTION OF FREQUENCY OF REINFORCEMENT<sup>1,</sup><sup>2</sup>
2,287 Citations1961R. J. Herrnstein
The present experiment is a study of strength of response of pigeons on a concurrent schedule under which they peck at either of two response-keys and investigates output as a function of frequency of reinforcement.
PathGoal Theory of Leadership
1,049 Citations2010Robert J. House, Terence R. Mitchell
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorTHE CORRELATION‐BASED LAW OF EFFECT<sup>1</sup>
668 Citations1973William M. Baum
If the correlation-based law of effect is accepted, it favors measures and units of analysis that transcend momentary events, extending through time, which allow redefinition of reinforcement and punishment, and clarification of their relation to discriminative stimuli.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorFORMAL PROPERTIES OF THE MATCHING LAW<sup>1</sup>
470 Citations1974R. J. Herrnstein
The matching law implies that any form of behavior approaches an asymptotic frequency as its reinforcement approaches 100 per cent of the total reinforcement being obtained at a given time.
ScienceChoice in Free-Ranging Wild Pigeons
175 Citations1974William M. Baum
A flock of free-ranging wild pigeons were trained to peck at buttons which, when operated, allowed brief access to grain, suggesting that the matching law may apply to the behavior of higher organisms in natural environments.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorCHANGEOVER DELAY AND CONCURRENT SCHEDULES: SOME EFFECTS ON RELATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES<sup>1</sup>
174 Citations1967Richard L. Shull, Stanley S. Pliskoff
The pigeon and the rat partition total response output between both schedules of a concurrent variable-interval pair is studied and the quantitative nature of a partition seems critically dependent on the relative rates with which the two schedules provide reinforcements for responding, in addition to the changeover delay.
Organizational Behavior and Human PerformanceLeader initiating structure: A reconciliation of discrepant research results and some empirical tests
160 Citations1976Chester A. Schriesheim, Robert J. House +1 more
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorBEHAVIOR OF HUMANS IN VARIABLE‐INTERVAL SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT
149 Citations1976C. M. Bradshaw, E. Szabadi +1 more
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorPREFERENCE FOR QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT REINFORCERS<sup>1</sup>
136 Citations1971Valerie D. Hollard, Michael Davison
Three pigeons studied under two-key concurrent variable-interval schedules showed that qualitatively different reinforcers could be handled in the same theoretical framework that applies when choice is between different rates, immediacies, and amounts of a single reinforcer.
Academy of Management JournalThe Postulates of Expectancy Theory.
115 Citations1973Orlando Behling, Frederick A. Starke
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorREINFORCEMENT OF EYE MOVEMENT WITH CONCURRENT SCHEDULES<sup>1</sup>
102 Citations1969Stephen R. Schroeder, James G. Holland
The results suggest that for stimuli whose critical components are arranged spatially, conditioned eye movements play an important part in selective stimulus control.
Organizational Behavior and Human PerformanceParkinson's Law as a goal-setting phenomenon
94 Citations1967Judith F. Bryan, Edwin A. Locke
Psychological ReportsThe Pigeon and the Spectrum and other Perplexities
68 Citations1956Norman Guttman
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorON SOME DETERMINANTS OF CHOICE IN PIGEONS
64 Citations1963G. S. Reynolds
A pigeon's pecking at each of two or three simultaneously available red keys was reinforced at different frequencies with a conditioned reinforcer, an orange key, on which 25 pecks resulted in a presentation of grain.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorON THE DISCRIMINATIVE CONTROL OF CONCURRENT RESPONSES: THE RELATIONS AMONG RESPONSE FREQUENCY, LATENCY, AND TOPOGRAPHY IN AUDITORY GENERALIZATION<sup>1</sup>
55 Citations1962David V. Cross, Harlan Lane
No changes in response topography were correlated with the characteristic changes in probability and latency during stimulus generalization, and overall response latency was inversely related to the relative frequency of the two responses at each stimulus value.
Child DevelopmentJUSTIN AND HIS PEERS. AN EXPERIMETAL ANALYSIS OF A CHILD'S SOCIAL WORLD
45 Citations1962Donald J. Cohen
The results of analysis of the social behavior of a particular young person are discussed and a new instrument for the experimental analysis of social behavior is briefly described.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of BehaviorTIME LIMITS FOR COMPLETING FIXED RATIOS<sup>1</sup>
26 Citations1970Michael D. Zeiler
The pigeon's to the temporal variable, a property of the entire period extending from the first opportunity to respond to the end of the ratio, indicated that performance involved a behavioral unit encompassing both the post-reinforcement pause and the responses comprising the ratio.