Lecture 2 - How can we improve our chances for goals success?

Question 1

Goal

Answer 1

Mental representation of something you’re trying to reach

Most people take 5,6,7 times before reaching new years resolution goal

Question 2

Self-control

Answer 2

According to Baumeister:

The capacity to alter or over-ride one’s typical way of responding (habits)

Ingredients of successful self-control:
-standards: make it clear and specific, make sure goals are not in conflict with each other, stay with goals that are important to us
-monitoring: monitor progress (measure)
-strength: self-control resources (can be fatigued, self-control limit…. Limited amount of self-control)…. Ego-depletion studies, BIGGEST IN GRAPH

Question 3

New year’s resolution example: Pam

Answer 3

Do Volunteer Work (0)
Keep Up With School Work
(25)
Be a Nicer Person
Write Home More Often
Read More Good Books
Note: #’s in parentheses = pct success
at 2mths

Problems: Too many resolutions, not specific enough, in conflict with each other (all take time)

Question 4

How to overcome our self-control limits?

Answer 4

-Don’t pursue too many goals at the same time
-Frame our goal pursuits in a SMAART way
-Try to boost your beliefs of self-efficacy so that you are ready to achieve the goal
More likely to reach, but doesn’t guarantee
-Augment the goals with implementation plans.

Question 5

SMAART Goals

Answer 5

Specific
Measurable
Achievable (under your control)…. Can’t change other people
Approach oriented (added by prof), rather than avoidance oriented
Realistic (optimally challenging)
Time-Framed (distal and proximal)

Question 6

Ziggy’s resolutions

Answer 6

New Years Resolutions
Examples: Ziggy
Attempt To Keep Up
With Readings (10)
Eat Better(20)
Do Volunteer Work
Spend At Least 4
Hours Per Week In
The Library

Problems: not specific, “attempt” = no confidence, not measurable….

Question 7

Goal Self-Efficacy – Bandura 1997

Answer 7

Self-efficacy: beliefs about your ability to successfully perform certain actions
Does not =self-esteem
Does not = actual ability (doesn’t necessarily match ability)
Specific and changeable
Benefits of self-efficacy:
1) focus your attention more effectively
2) exert more effort
3) optimism in face of obstacles

Question 8

Koestner’s study on boosting self-efficacy

Answer 8

Boosting self-efficacy study: Koestner et al. 2006
1. Report most important new years resolution
2. Randomly assigned to neutral or self-efficacy boost condition:
Neutral: list 3 positive outcomes to attain and 3 negative outcomes to avoid
Self-efficacy boost condition: Write about….
a) a goal they had already achieved that was similar
b) an individual similar to themselves who already attained the same goal
c) an individual who could encourage them in their pursuit
3. Rate the extent to which you possess the resources and skills necessary to attain your new year resolution on a 9-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 9 (very much)
4. Rate goal progress after 1 month
Results:
Those in self-efficacy boost made greater progress. Self-efficacy and goal progress r=0.39

Question 9

New Years Resolutions Examples: Clarissa

Answer 9

Drink 8 Glasses of Water A Day (10)
Exercise 3 or 4 Times Per Week (40)

She also reported high selfefficacy

More specific, more measurable… better

Question 10

Implementation-Intention (If-Then)

Answer 10

Make an implementation intentions plan
Cue/trigger
Makes it automatic, so don’t have to use self-control resources
If-then plan
The less you have to think about, the better
Routine

Take 5 minutes to outline an implementation
plan that specifies where, when and how you
will pursue your goal

Prof learned about i-i with water bottle story

Implementation intentions and their effect on goal progress:
-goal intentions alone do not guarantee the success of actions
-goal setting should be followed by planning
-implementation intention is an if-then plan that specifies when, where and how the behavior will lead to the achievement of a goal
-if a situation y arises, then I will perform goal-directed behaviour z to achieve goal x
See example (Lina’s fitness) + (losing weight la presse)

Implementation Study by Clear (2018)
Randomized control study in University setting.
Recruited 248 students who wanted to increase
their level of weekly exercise.
1. Control Group. Asked to simply track how often they exercised.
2. Motivation Group. Track exercise plus read material about the health
benefits of exercise.
3. Planning Group. Received same as 1 & 2 but also did implementation
planning
Results: those in group 3 had the highest rate of success

I-I and success:
94 independent studies show a
significant positive effect of
Pearson r = .33

Is it true only for college students? No, also sz, heroin addicts, brain injury…. any goal

Also true for objective progress (0.34), not just self-reported (r=0.32)

Does the type of goal matter? no
Does difficulty of the goal affect the success
of implementation plans?…. no?

The art of making implementation plans
Will it make things automatic, mindless?
Will it be personally friendly?

Question 11

Tiny Habits

Answer 11

Do something little… then celebrate yourself ‘’awesome!’’
Do x pushups every time you flush toilet… accumulates over the day
(kinda lame according to the prof lol… good to start small though and good use of implementation plans)

Question 12

Fogg Behavior Model

Answer 12

B=mat
Behavior = motivation and ability and trigger

See graph