The importance of goals in advancing the S-O-R model

This research note argues that while the Stimulus – Organism – Response (S-O-R) model has provided a foundational framework for understanding behaviour in tourism and related fields, it remains conceptually limited when applied without consideration of an individual's goals in the context being studied. This manuscript critiques the S-O-R model for assuming that external stimulus causes an emotional response, and that all individuals respond homogeneously to this stimulus. Drawing on Cognitive Appraisal Theory (CAT), it proposes that an organism’s responses are shaped not by the stimulus itself, but by the appraisal of its congruence with a person’s goals in the context. Therefore, this research note contributes to tourism research as the first study to integrate the S-O-R framework with CAT by addressing the need for its goal-driven reconceptualisation and outlines directions for future research to incorporate goals more explicitly into S-O-R-based models in tourism and related fields. Areas for future research are outlined, including the development of a tourist goals typology, and improved methods for measuring them.