Goal setting influences employee behavior and performance mainly by improving:

A) situational contingencies and learned abilities.
B) aptitudes and learned abilities.
C) motivation and role perceptions.
D) role perceptions and learned abilities.
E) motivation and aptitudes.

Goal setting can improve motivation by providing employees with a clear target to work towards, as well as improving their role perceptions by clarifying expectations and responsibilities. Aptitudes and learned abilities may also be important for achieving goals, but they are not directly influenced by the act of goal setting itself. Situational contingencies may be related to goal achievement, but they are not directly improved by the process of setting goals.