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Ma Y, Zhang B, Wang M. A Diary Study of Daily Negative Aging Stereotypes and Goal Pursuit in Older Adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2024; 79:gbae049. [PMID: 38551226 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbae049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the association between negative aging stereotypes and goal pursuit in daily life among older adults. We also explored the roles of stereotype threat and stereotype challenge reactions in mediating this association. Additionally, this study investigated whether variations in these associations exist among older adults based on their self-integrity levels. METHODS Participants were 100 older adults who completed daily measures assessing negative aging stereotype experiences, threat and challenge reactions, goal pursuit activities, and self-integrity over a week. RESULTS More daily experiences of negative aging stereotypes were associated with greater avoidance of responsibilities in goal pursuit and less progress toward goals. Increased threat reactions and decreased challenge reactions were mediators of the association between stereotype experiences and avoidance of responsibilities, as well as that between stereotype experiences and progress toward goals, respectively. Moreover, the associations between threat reactions and avoidance of responsibilities as well as between stereotype experiences and challenge reactions were more pronounced in older adults with lower self-integrity levels. DISCUSSION This study is pioneering in demonstrating the real-life interplay between aging stereotypes and goal pursuit among older adults. Its findings not only expand upon the literature concerning aging stereotypes, but also offer theoretical insights for the development of interventions aimed at goal pursuit. These insights have significant implications for fostering healthy aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Ma
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Baoshan Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Mengze Wang
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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2
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Garcia Jimenez C, D'Argembeau A. Goal characteristics predict the occurrence of goal-related events through belief in future occurrence. Conscious Cogn 2024; 119:103649. [PMID: 38324924 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
While previous studies have highlighted the role of episodic future thinking in goal pursuit, the underlying cognitive mechanisms remain unexplored. Episodic future thinking may promote goal pursuit by shaping the feeling that imagined events will (or will not) happen in the future - referred to as belief in future occurrence. We investigated whether goal self-concordance (Experiment 1) and other goal characteristics identified as influential in goal pursuit (Experiment 2) modulate belief in the future occurrence of goal-related events and predict the actual occurrence of these events. Results showed that goal self-concordance, engagement, and expectancy had an indirect effect on the actual occurrence of events, which was (partially) mediated by belief in future occurrence. The mediating role of belief supports the view that belief in future occurrence when imagining events conveys useful information, allowing us to make informed decisions and undertake adaptive actions in the process of goal pursuit.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arnaud D'Argembeau
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Belgium
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Bernecker K, Becker D, Guobyte A. If the party is good, you can stay longer-effects of trait hedonic capacity on hedonic quantity and performance. Motiv Emot 2023; 47:1-15. [PMID: 37359243 PMCID: PMC10201477 DOI: 10.1007/s11031-023-10021-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Research suggests that people's capacity to successfully pursue hedonic goals is at least as important for well-being as trait self-control. Extending this research, we tested whether trait hedonic capacity is related to more time spent with hedonic goal pursuit (i.e., hedonic quantity) and whether this explains its positive relationship with well-being. Second, we explored whether this may come at a cost for people's performance. Results show that people with higher trait hedonic capacity do spend more time with hedonic goal pursuit (Study 1 and 2). However, hedonic quality not hedonic quantity accounts for its positive relationship with well-being. Further, people higher vs. lower in trait hedonic capacity perform equally well in their studies (Study 2) and their jobs (Study 3 and 4). Thus, trait hedonic capacity seems to allow people to invest more time into their hedonic goals in a way that does not jeopardize their academic and job performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Bernecker
- University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- URPP “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Schormann ALA, Buggisch S, Riehle M, Lincoln TM, Schlier B. Low goal-directed behavior in negative symptoms is explained by goal setting - Results of a diary study. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2022; 76:101740. [PMID: 35738687 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2022.101740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Engaging in goal-directed activities is a core difficulty of people with negative symptoms in schizophrenia. A previously developed goal pursuit model of negative symptoms (Schlier et al. 2017) postulates that negative symptom severity correlates with a tendency to set more avoidance- than approach-oriented goals. This shift in goal orientation correlates with low levels of goal expectancy, goal importance, and goal commitment. We explored whether these alterations translate into reduced goal-directed behavior (i.e., reduced goal striving and goal attainment). METHODS We conducted a one-week diary-study in a population sample (N=91). Participants were assessed for subclinical negative symptoms at baseline. Next, they set a daily goal and completed an online survey measuring goal orientation, goal characteristics, goal pursuit, and goal attainment once per day for one week. RESULTS Multilevel regression analyses and structural equation models showed that negative symptoms correlated with a tendency to set less approach-oriented goals with reduced goal expectancy and goal commitment. Goal orientation, expectancy, and commitment mediated the association between negative symptoms and reduced goal pursuit and attainment. LIMITATIONS We used a community sample, thus our results need to be replicated in a clinical sample of people with motivational negative symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Our results support the hypothesis that dysfunctional goal pursuit processes explain why negative symptoms lead to reduced goal-directed behavior. Interventions focusing on goal setting and goal expectations could be promising in improving goal-directed behavior in people with negative symptoms.
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Prystawski B, Mohnert F, Tošić M, Lieder F. Resource-rational Models of Human Goal Pursuit. Top Cogn Sci 2022; 14:528-549. [PMID: 34435728 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Goal-directed behavior is a deeply important part of human psychology. People constantly set goals for themselves and pursue them in many domains of life. In this paper, we develop computational models that characterize how humans pursue goals in a complex dynamic environment and test how well they describe human behavior in an experiment. Our models are motivated by the principle of resource rationality and draw upon psychological insights about people's limited attention and planning capacities. We find that human goal pursuit is qualitatively different and substantially less efficient than optimal goal pursuit in our simulated environment. Models of goal pursuit based on the principle of resource rationality capture human behavior better than both a model of optimal goal pursuit and heuristics that are not resource-rational. We conclude that the way humans pursue goals is shaped by the need to achieve goals effectively as well as cognitive costs and constraints on planning and attention. Our findings are an important step toward understanding humans' goal pursuit as cognitive limitations play a crucial role in shaping people's goal-directed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Prystawski
- Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen
- Department of Computer Science, Cognitive Science Program, University of Toronto
| | | | - Mateo Tošić
- Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen
| | - Falk Lieder
- Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen
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Haynos AF, Widge AS, Anderson LM, Redish AD. Beyond Description and Deficits: How Computational Psychiatry Can Enhance an Understanding of Decision-Making in Anorexia Nervosa. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2022; 24:77-87. [PMID: 35076888 PMCID: PMC8934594 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-022-01320-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Despite decades of research, knowledge of the mechanisms maintaining anorexia nervosa (AN) remains incomplete and clearly effective treatments elusive. Novel theoretical frameworks are needed to advance mechanistic and treatment research for this disorder. Here, we argue the utility of engaging a novel lens that differs from existing perspectives in psychiatry. Specifically, we argue the necessity of expanding beyond two historically common perspectives: (1) the descriptive perspective: the tendency to define mechanisms on the basis of surface characteristics and (2) the deficit perspective: the tendency to search for mechanisms associated with under-functioning of decision-making abilities and related circuity, rather than problems of over-functioning, in psychiatric disorders. RECENT FINDINGS Computational psychiatry can provide a novel framework for understanding AN because this approach emphasizes the role of computational misalignments (rather than absolute deficits or excesses) between decision-making strategies and environmental demands as the key factors promoting psychiatric illnesses. Informed by this approach, we argue that AN can be understood as a disorder of excess goal pursuit, maintained by over-engagement, rather than disengagement, of executive functioning strategies and circuits. Emerging evidence suggests that this same computational imbalance may constitute an under-investigated phenotype presenting transdiagnostically across psychiatric disorders. A variety of computational models can be used to further elucidate excess goal pursuit in AN. Most traditional psychiatric treatments do not target excess goal pursuit or associated neurocognitive mechanisms. Thus, targeting at the level of computational dysfunction may provide a new avenue for enhancing treatment for AN and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann F. Haynos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, 2450 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN F 253, USA
| | - Alik S. Widge
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, 2450 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN F 253, USA
| | - Lisa M. Anderson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, 2450 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN F 253, USA
| | - A. David Redish
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 6-145 Jackson Hall 321 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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7
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Patrick LM, Anderson KM, Holmes AJ. Local and distributed cortical markers of effort expenditure during sustained goal pursuit. Neuroimage 2021; 244:118602. [PMID: 34563679 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The adaptive adjustment of behavior in pursuit of desired goals is critical for survival. To accomplish this complex feat, individuals must weigh the potential benefits of a given action against time, energy, and resource costs. Here, we examine brain responses associated with willingness to exert physical effort during the sustained pursuit of desired goals. Our analyses reveal a distributed pattern of brain activity in aspects of ventral medial prefrontal cortex that tracks with trial-level variability in effort expenditure. Indicating the brain represents echoes of effort at the point of feedback, whole-brain searchlights identified signals reflecting past effort expenditure in medial and lateral prefrontal cortices, encompassing broad swaths of frontoparietal and dorsal attention networks. These data have important implications for our understanding of how the brain's valuation mechanisms contend with the complexity of real-world dynamic environments with relevance for the study of behavior across health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Patrick
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States.
| | - Kevin M Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States
| | - Avram J Holmes
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States.
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8
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Kip A, Blom D, van der Weiden A. On the course of goal pursuit: The influence of goal progress on explicit judgments of self-agency. Conscious Cogn 2021; 96:103222. [PMID: 34687990 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The experience of causing our own actions and resulting outcomes (i.e., self-agency) is essential for the regulation of our actions during goal pursuit. In two experiments, participants indicated experienced self-agency over presented outcomes, which varied in distance to their goal in an agency-ambiguous task. In Study 1, progress was manipulated at trial level (i.e., stimuli moved randomly or sequentially towards the goal). In Study 2, progress was constant at trial level (sequential), but varied at task level (i.e., goal discrepancy of the outcomes was random or decreased over trials). Study 1 showed that self-agency gradually increased in the progress condition as unsuccessful outcomes were objectively closer to the goal, while self-agency increased exponentially upon full goal attainment in the absence of progress. The gradual pattern for the progress condition was replicated in Study 2. These studies indicate that explicit judgments of self-agency are more flexible when there is goal progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneloes Kip
- Department of Social, Health, and Organisational Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584CS Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Demi Blom
- Department of Social, Health, and Organisational Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584CS Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Anouk van der Weiden
- Department of Social, Health, and Organisational Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584CS Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Hennecke M, Brandstätter V, Oettingen G. The Self-Regulation of Healthy Aging: Goal-Related Processes in Three Domains. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2021; 76:S125-S134. [PMID: 34515771 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
As people age, they experience typical age-graded challenges and opportunities, for example, their own retirement, changes in their social networks, or a decline in health condition. The extent to which people successfully process, respond to, and act on these challenges and opportunities is highly important for their health, at the core of which the WHO sees the possibility of "doing what one has reason to value." In this article, we posit that individuals can play an active role in determining whether they can, in response to these age-graded influences, continue doing what they have reason to value, and that they can do so by deploying the self-regulatory processes of goal setting (including reengagement in new goals after disengaging from a previous goal), goal pursuit, and goal disengagement. We discuss the role of these self-regulatory processes in three important goal domains: work/retirement, interpersonal relationships, and health. Across these domains, we consider typical challenges and opportunities including the increased availability of daily time in old age, the long past that lies behind older adults, and their limited future time perspective. Finally, we derive open research questions that may be studied to better understand how the very old may self-regulate their response to age-graded influences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gabriele Oettingen
- Department of Psychology, New York University, USA.,Department of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Germany
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Kokkoris MD, Stavrova O. Staying on track in turbulent times: Trait self-control and goal pursuit during self-quarantine. Pers Individ Dif 2021; 170:110454. [PMID: 33100454 DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Prior research has shown that routines and beneficial habits largely explain high self-control people's success at goal pursuit. However, COVID-19 self-quarantine measures and country-level lockdowns have largely challenged people's ability to stick to their daily routines and habits. How successful at goal pursuit are people with high self-control when the world around them is not as it used to be? We examined if self-control passes the ‘quarantine test’. In an online study (N = 271), we measured trait self-control, goal progress, continued engagement in pre-pandemic goal-directed behaviors, development of new goal-directed behaviors and turning these new behaviors into habits. Results showed that during lockdown, people with higher (vs. lower) trait self-control were not only more likely to continue engaging in pre-pandemic goal-directed behaviors, but also found it easier to develop new goal-directed behaviors and were more likely to turn these behaviors into habits. High self-control people's ability to continue performing pre-pandemic goal-directed behaviors and to turn new behaviors into habits explained their success at goal attainment despite the major disruptions caused by the pandemic. We examined the effect of trait self-control on goal pursuit during COVID-19 quarantine. Trait self-control is associated with successful goal pursuit. Self-control is associated with continuing pre-pandemic goal-directed behaviors. Self-control is associated with ease of developing new goal-directed behaviors. Self-control is associated with turning new goal-directed behaviors into habits.
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Sullivan-Toole H, DePasque S, Holt-Gosselin B, Galván A. Worth working for: The influence of effort costs on teens' choices during a novel decision making game. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 37:100652. [PMID: 31075712 PMCID: PMC6969283 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Decision making requires consideration of both the benefits of a given choice and the costs, which can include risk, delay, and effort. Previous research has examined the developmental trajectory of adolescent decision making regarding risk and delay; however, the effects of effort on adolescent decision making remain largely unexplored. In the present study, we pilot tested a novel, developmentally-appropriate task designed to examine developmental differences in the willingness to expend effort during goal pursuit in adolescents (ages 13-16, n = 23) versus young adults (ages 18-23, n = 25). Self-reported reward responsivity correlated with task-related parameter estimates for effort and reward, providing evidence of task validity. Adolescents exhibited reduced sensitivity to physical effort costs compared to adults, effects which did not appear to be driven by differences in subjective task motivation or awareness of the effort requirements. These findings provide preliminary evidence that adolescence may be a time of increased willingness to expend effort during goal pursuit. Effort-based decision making is an understudied but exciting avenue for developmental research, as the willingness to engage in effortful pursuit of new experiences during adolescence may help to facilitate the path to independence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Sullivan-Toole
- Graduate Program in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, United States
| | - Samantha DePasque
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Bailey Holt-Gosselin
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
| | - Adriana Galván
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
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Threadgill AH, Gable PA. The sweetness of successful goal pursuit: Approach-motivated pregoal states enhance the reward positivity during goal pursuit. Int J Psychophysiol 2017; 132:277-286. [PMID: 29274365 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2017.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Traditionally, the reward positivity (RewP) is thought to index a binary performance monitoring system sensitive to approach motivation. However, recent theoretical models have argued that feedback processing extends beyond simple "good" vs. "bad" associations, such that performance monitoring incorporates the complex, multi-step sequence of behaviors often necessary to attain rewards. The present study sought to go beyond simple stimulus-response paradigms to examine how approach-motivated states occurring in multi-step goal pursuit impacts the RewP. Additionally, outcome frequency was varied to examine how the P3, a neural marker of expectancy, influences the RewP. Using a modified monetary incentive delay paradigm, participants played a reaction time game where multiple correct responses were required to attain a reward. Additionally, each trial had the potential for a reward (approach-motivated state) or no reward (neutral state). Results revealed that RewP amplitudes were larger after reward trial win feedback than after reward trial no-win feedback across multiple stages of goal pursuit. Additionally, after for controlling outcome frequency via the P3, RewP amplitudes were larger in reward trials than in neutral trials across incremental stages of goal pursuit. The RewP appears to be sensitive to feedback indicating successfully completing sub-goals during pursuit of a goal, even when no immediate reward is given. Approach motivation enhances performance monitoring when multiple steps are needed to attain a desired outcome, which may increase the likelihood of goal acquisition and attainment.
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Nisson C, Earl A. Regulating food consumption: Action messages can help or hurt. Appetite 2016; 107:280-4. [PMID: 27545673 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2016.08.100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Revised: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Previous research suggests that messages promoting active behavior change may inadvertently increase food consumption by promoting a general goal to act. We suggest that this is only the case for active-approach behaviors and that messages promoting active-avoidance behaviors may be used to effectively decrease food consumption. METHODS Participants were presented with healthy eating messages pretested to vary on the dimensions of direction (approach vs. avoid) and amount (action vs. inaction) of behavior. After viewing the messages, participants selected and consumed a healthy or unhealthy snack during a taste test. RESULTS There were no differences in snack selection (healthy vs. unhealthy) across message conditions. For messages promoting more active behavior, however, there was a significant difference in snack consumption such that participants viewing active-approach messages consumed significantly more food than participants viewing active-avoidance messages. This happened regardless of whether participants selected a healthy or unhealthy snack. For messages promoting less active behavior there was no difference in consumption between approach and avoidance based messages. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that when viewing health messages that promote active behavior change, individuals are sensitive to the direction of action advocated by the message (approach vs. avoidance) and modulate consumption accordingly.
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Cross A, Sheffield D. Mental contrasting as a behaviour change technique: a systematic review protocol paper of effects, mediators and moderators on health. Syst Rev 2016; 5:201. [PMID: 27887634 PMCID: PMC5123225 DOI: 10.1186/s13643-016-0382-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mental contrasting is a self-regulation strategy that is required for strong goal commitment. In mental contrasting, individuals firstly imagine a desired future or health goal that contrasted with the reality proceeding the goal state, which after reflection is viewed as an obstacle (Oettingen et al. J Pers Soc Psychol 80:736-753, 2001). Mentally contrasting a positive future with reality enables individuals to translate positive attitudes and high efficacy into strong goal commitment. METHODS A systematic review of the literature is proposed to explore the efficacy of mental contrasting as a behaviour change technique (Michie et al., Ann Behav Med 46: 81-95, 2013) for health. The review also aims to identify the effects of mental contrasting on health-related behaviour, as well as identifying mediator and moderator variables. DISCUSSION This will be the first systematic review of mental contrasting as a health behaviour change technique. With sufficient studies, a meta-analysis will be conducted with sensitivity and sub group analyses. If meta-analysis is not appropriate, a narrative synthesis of the reviewed studies will be conducted. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION Review protocol registered on PROSPERO reference CRD42016034202 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Ainslea Cross
- University of Derby Online Learning, University of Derby, Derby, UK.
| | - David Sheffield
- College of Life and Natural Sciences, University of Derby, Derby, UK
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Solman GJF, Kingstone A. Arranging Objects in Space: Measuring Task-Relevant Organizational Behaviors During Goal Pursuit. Cogn Sci 2016; 41:1042-1070. [PMID: 27427463 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Revised: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Human behavior unfolds primarily in built environments, where the arrangement of objects is a result of ongoing human decisions and actions, yet these organizational decisions have received limited experimental study. In two experiments, we introduce a novel paradigm designed to explore how individuals organize task-relevant objects in space. Participants completed goals by locating and accessing sequences of objects in a computer-based task, and they were free to rearrange the positions of objects at any time. We measure a variety of organization changes and evaluate how these measures relate to individual differences in performance. In Experiment 1, we show that with weak structure in task demands, changes in object positions that arise through performance of the task lead to improved order, characterized predominantly by a centralization of frequently used items and a peripheralization of infrequently used objects. In Experiment 2, with increased task structure, we observe more refined organizational tendencies, with selective contraction and clustering of interrelated task-relevant objects. We further demonstrate that these more selective organization behaviors are reliably associated with individual differences in task performance. Collectively, these two studies reveal properties of space and of task demands that support and facilitate effective organization of the environment in support of ongoing behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alan Kingstone
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia
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Ntoumanis N, Healy LC, Sedikides C, Smith AL, Duda JL. Self-Regulatory Responses to Unattainable Goals: The Role of Goal Motives. Self Identity 2014; 13:594-612. [PMID: 25104918 PMCID: PMC4104823 DOI: 10.1080/15298868.2014.889033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2013] [Accepted: 01/26/2014] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Does motivation for goal pursuit predict how individuals will respond when confronted with unattainable goals? Two studies examined the role of autonomous and controlled motives when pursuing an unattainable goal without (Study 1) or with (Study 2) the opportunity to reengage in alternative goal pursuit. Autonomous motives positively predicted the cognitive ease of reengagement with an alternative goal when the current goal was perceived as unattainable, especially when participants realized goal unattainability relatively early during goal striving. Autonomous motives, however, were negative predictors of cognitive ease of disengagement from an unattainable goal. When faced with failure, autonomously motivated individuals are better off realizing early the goal unattainability. Otherwise, they will find it difficult to disengage cognitively from the pursued goal (despite reengaging cognitively in an alternative goal), possibly due to interfering rumination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikos Ntoumanis
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Laura C Healy
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Constantine Sedikides
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Shackleton Building (B44), Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Alison L Smith
- School for Education, University of Bath, Bath, Claverton, Down Bath, North East Somerset BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Joan L Duda
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
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Kwong JYY, Wong KFE, Tang SKY. Comparing predicted and actual affective responses to process versus outcome: an emotion-as-feedback perspective. Cognition 2013; 129:42-50. [PMID: 23831563 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2013.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2012] [Revised: 04/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
One of the conjectures in affective forecasting literature is that people are advised to discount their anticipated emotions because their forecasts are often inaccurate. The present research distinguishes between emotional reactions to process versus those to outcome, and highlights an alternative view that affective misforecasts could indeed be adaptive to goal pursuit. Using an ultimatum game, Study 1 showed that people overpredicted how much they would regret and be disappointed by the amount of effort they exerted, should the outcomes turned out worse than expected; nonetheless, people could accurately predict their emotional responses to unfavorable outcomes per se. In a natural setting of a university examination, Study 2 demonstrated that actual regret and disappointment toward favorable outcomes were more intense than the level people expected, but this discrepancy was not observed in their emotional responses to efforts they had invested. These two distinct patterns of results substantiate the argument that the deviation between predicted and actual emotions is dependent on the referents of the emotional reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Y Y Kwong
- Department of Marketing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Adminstrative Region.
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