Goals as reference points
Heath, Larrick and Wu argue in their 1999 paper that goals act as reference points and take on the properties of the value function of prospect theory: a reference point, loss aversion and diminishing sensitivity. They also use the value function to explain earlier findings on goals, affect, effort, persistence and performance.
Heath, Larrick and Wu argue in their 1999 paper that goals act as reference points and take on the properties of the value function of prospect theory: a reference point, loss aversion and diminishing sensitivity. They also use the value function to explain earlier findings on goals, affect, effort, persistence and performance.
Written from the abstract and journal record, Duke Scholars, 2026-11-02.
What our sources record
Recorded when this source was checked, figures included, with page references and quotation marks removed.
Heath, C., Larrick, R. P., & Wu, G. (1999). “Goals as reference points.” Cognitive Psychology, 38(1), 79-109. doi:10.1006/cogp.1998.0708 https://doi.org/10.1006/cogp.1998.0708