Goal Setting Student Flashcards
Cognition
a broad umbrella term that describes mental events such as information processing, decision-making, memory, and problem-solving
According to motivational science what does cognitive activity act as?
a “spring to action” that energizes and directs behavior toward a purpose
Discrepancy
- Individuals hold mental representations (image in our mind) of an ideal state of behaviour, environment, and events
discrepancy = mismatches between reality (current state) and ideal which is uncomfortable
how does feelings of driscrepency relate to motivation?
We are motivated to reduce the feeling of discrepancy
If we feel our ideal state isn’t reached, that can push us to enact effort and adapt to ways that work to reduce the discrepancy so we can reach that state
What are the two types of discrepency?
- discrepancy reduction
- discrepancy creation
Discrepancy Reduction
Individual receives environmental feedback
- deficiency overcoming
- reactive
- negative feedback system: once we reach the ideal we stop
- planning
ex: While cooking for a dinner party, you accidentally burn your meal, so you open Uber Eats to find a quick replacement dinner before your guests arrive
Discrepancy Creation
Individual looks forward and imagines a prospective ideal state
- growth-persuing
- proactive
- positive feed-forward system: keep moving
- goal-setting process is enabled
ex: You decide you want to apply to be a contestant on The Great Canadian Baking Show, so you start developing a set of signature recipe
Goal:
a future-focused cognitive representation of a desired end state that guides behaviour towards accomplishing that end state
- enabled by discrepancy-creation process
- people who set goals outperform those who don’t because they direct their attention to it more and are less likely to get distracted
What are the three features of a goal?
- Goal difficulty
- Goal specificity
- Goal congruence
Goal Difficulty:
- how hard is the goal to accomplish?
- effort is proportional to difficulty
- harder goals will require more effort and persistence
Goal Specificity:
- how clearly does the goal inform the performer of precisely what to do?
- specificity reduces ambiguity in thought and variability in performance
Ex: I want to be a better runner, a more specific goal could be: I want to run 10K without stopping
What is something someone can create to enhance goal specificity?
A goal hierarchy:
- get a job
- create a CV and get an internship
- to perform well in courses I need to study, to create a resume I need to find a template and get feedback after writing it etc…
Goal Congruence:
- how authentic and self-endorsed is the goal?
- self-concordance leverages personal resources
- how much is the goal aligned with our values, interests, passions
Goal Proximity:
distal vs. proximal
- How far away a goal is can affect how long we persist and our feelings of intrinsic motivation towards it
- Proximal goals provide repeated opportunities for feedback and reinforcement
- On uninteresting tasks, proximal goals enhance intrinsic motivation (through positive feedback and greater competence)
- When we can check smaller boxes toward a larger goal we feel more competent and that can enhance our intrinsic motivation
performance goal:
- desire to demonstrate or prove skills, outperform others, and succeed with little effort
- typically framed in interpersonal terms (i.e., using others as a point of comparison)
Performance- approach goal:
to accomplish a desired outcome
ex: I want to get an A+ because it means I will have a grade better than everyone else
ex: I want to get into medical school so my parents will be proud of me
performance-avoidance goal:
framed in an effort to avoid an undesired outcome
ex: I want to pass this test to avoid looking stupid
ex: I can’t come in last at tomorrow’s tournament or I’ll be a laughing stock.
Learning (mastery) goal:
- desire to develop greater skills, make progress, and overcome challenges through persistence and effort
- Typically framed in intrapersonal terms (i.e., using the self as a metric for “success”)
ex: I want to get an A+ cause I worked hard
ex: I want to beat yesterday’s time because it’ll be a sign that I’m becoming a better runner.
Benefits of adopting learning (mastery goals)
- Having a growth mindset (vs. fixed mindset)
- Preference for greater challenge
- Use of deeper learning strategies
- Seeking support
- Seeking feedback that is accurate and useful to improving (vs. flattering)
- Intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation
- Seeking the feeling of competence and growth
- Satisfaction based on progress (vs. success)
When do goals tend to be most effective?
- when tasks are relatively uninteresting and require only a straightforward procedure
Goal conflict:
- Sometimes we have multiple goals that conflict with one another
ex: having the goal of saving money but then having a goal of bringing parents to Europe
- we can fix this by prioritizing a focal goal first
How can goals undermine intrinsic motivation?
when they are controlling, pressure-inducing, and intrusive
ex: having a goal to sell clothing online but then getting super annoyed and frustrated with keeping up with the account and losing all motivation for it that was initially there
