Lecture 7: regulatory focus theory Flashcards
What are self regulation and self-regulation strategies?
Self-regulation -volitional (will based) and cognitive processes individuals apply to reach desired states, including goals striving and need fulfillment.
SR strategies -specific types of behaviors and mental operations applied to achieve a goal or fulfill a need.
needs and motives - preference for types of incentives
-Motives: rather cognitive preferences
-Needs: rather biological or otherwise essential
goals -desired end state specifying a concrete event an individual is striving for.
What is regulatory focus? Promotion focus
promotion focus:
Fundamental motivation- growth and advancement
Concern with ideal states , the ideal self, sense of hope and aspiration
Concern with the presence or absence of positive outcomes : striving for promotion, success (*gains) and avoiding promotion failure (non-gains**)
Eager striving to ensure desired (avoid undesired) outcomes
Predisposition: act eagerly, and ensure hits (ensure against errors of omission)
Often Apply risky strategies trying not to miss opportunities and go by Nothing ventured, nothing gained
What is regulatory focus? Prevention focus
prevention focus
Fundamental motivation: safety and security
Concern with ought states, the ought self, sense of duties and obligations
Concerned with the absence or presence of negative outcomes: striving for prevention success (non-loss) and avoiding prevention failure (loss)
Vigilant goal pursuit to ensure desired (avoid undesired) outcomes
Predisposition: remain defensive, and avoid ‘mis hits’ (enter against errors of commission)
Rather refrain from taking action, then risking a mistake and go by “ better safe than sorry”
Emotions: the system level (end states, WHY)
Promotion VS prevention focus
promotion focus
-Approach gains, avoid non-gains
Success= presence of gain- cheerful emotions (happiness, joy)
-positive and high activation
Failure: absence of gain-dejection related emotions (sadness, disappointment)
-negative and low activation
Being socially ignored (non-gain) -sadness and attempts to re-engage (approach)
Risk: depression related disorders, suicidal ideation
prevention focus
-Approach non-loss, avoid loss
Success: absence of loss -quiescence related emotions (calmness, relaxation)
-positive and low activation
Failure: presence of loss
-Agitation related emotions (anxiety, worry, tension)
-Negative and high activation
Being socially rejected (loss)
-Anxiety and withdrawal (avoidance)
Risk: anxiety related disorders (GAD, panic attacks, agoraphobia, social phobia, OCD)
Behavior: strategy level (means, HOW)
Promotion VS prevention focus
promotion focus
Antecedents of chronic focus; promotion VS prevention focus
Promotion focus
-Caretaker-child interaction
Emphasize desired end states as ideals (hopes, wishes, aspirations)
Focus on making progress
Instructional scaffolding to support learning
-Culture
Western society is stressing individual uniqueness, and aspirations to be the best and stand out
-Situations
Incentives emphasize gain/non-gain
Exp Promote health (by exercising)
Exp offer discount (cash)
Focus on aspirations and ideals (leader, team..)
Task stressing advancement
Motivated by positive role models
Examples
Write about 3 situation from the past in which one experiences, promotion, success, or failure
Right about ideals and aspirations (current, or past, or how they changed)
prevention focus
-caretaker-child interaction
Emphasize desired end states as oughts (duties, responsibilities, obligations)
Focus of maintaining safety and security
Teaching good manners, and proper social practices to avoid judgment
-Culture
Eastern (east Asian) societies, stressing interdependence, group, harmony (duties, obligations also to elderly) and fitting in
-Situations
Incentives emphasize non-loss/loss
Exp prevent disease (by exercising)
Exp charge free (credit card)
Focus on duties and oughts (leader, team..)
Motivated by negative role models
Examples
Write about 3 situation’s from the past in which one experiences, prevention, success, or failure
Write about the duties and obligations (current, or past, or how they changed)
Measures of chronic focus?
Promotion VS prevention focus
Regulatory focus questionnaire (Higgins et al ., 2001)
Captures individual differences in histories of being successful in the promotion VS prevention systems
general regulatory focus measure (Lockwood et al., 2002)
Originally a scale for measuring students motivation
Items related to inclination to focus on achieving success and positive outcomes versus avoiding failure and negative outcomes
Items concern tendencies of fulfilling hopes, aspirations and ideals VS responsibilities and applications
Promotion versus prevention goal
**Measure of regulatory focus with Proverbs and sayings (Faur et al., 2017)
Proverbs are culturally embedded and allow assessing SR references unobtrusively
Proverbs have the potential to contain a lot of meaning concerning needs, goals, and psychological situation in a very simple statement
Promotion example : Fortune favors the bold, where there is a will there is away
Prevention example: slow and steady, wins the race, when in doubt-don’t
new skills proposed in the context of other work (on power; Sassenberg et al., 2012)
Mix of proverbs , emotional reactions, goals, strategies..
Developed because internal consistency of the prevention scale of the RFQ has repeatedly been found to be low in European languages, and Lockwood scale has been criticized
What are the consequences of promotion VS prevention focus?
promotion focus
Rather optimistic (the options to act easily)
Open to change
Cognitive: creative performance, global, more abstract thinking
More successful in negotiations
prevention focus
Rather pessimistic (potential obstacles/harm easily)
Preference for stability
Cognitive: analytic performance, local, and concrete thinking
More prone to confirmation bias
Conclusion
Importantly, not one better than the other
It all depends on the individual, the situation and the outcomes at stake
Trade-off between promotion and prevention motivation
Depression VS anxiety proneness
Risk of inflated optimism, self-esteem and illusions of control VS, risk of emotional and cognitive exhaustion from excessive vigilance
Exploration (openess to change/values) VS commitment (conservation values, preference for status quo)
What is regulatory fit?
People experience regulatory fit when the manner of their engagement in an activity sustains their goal orientation or interests regarding that activity.
With fit, people engage more strongly in what they are doing and feel right about it.
The match between a person’s SR strategy -regulatory focus-and the strategy chosen or required that needs to be applied to achieve a certain goal.
(Mis)Fit: preference and sustainability regarding SR are (not) matched.
consequence -positive experience that can manifest in different ways, but generally speaking it increases the value
Behavior is experienced more pleasantly (promotes individual and eager strategies; prevent individual and vigilant strategies) -I like what I am doing
Stronger engagement in behavior (stronger persistence, more effort)- I value and like this, so I should make an effort
individuals, objects, and social targets related to behavior high in regulatory fit will be evaluated more positively
Motivation (and valence) can result from fit between strategy preference and behavioral opportunities -not just behavior being in the service of needs and motives.
Intrapersonal regulatory fit?
Value of objects (Higgins et al., 2003)
Promotion VS prevention focus measured
Participants told : in addition to $, you can choose between a coffee mug and a pen as a gift
Half : think about what you would gain by choosing the mug or pen (eager)
Half: think about what you could lose by choosing the mug or pen (vigilant)
All choose coffee mug and asked what they would pay for it ?
With fit, people engage more strongly in what they are doing and feel right about it
Value of messages (Cesario, 2004)
Promotion VS prevention focus measured
Article outlining benefits of new student after-school program
Framing-eager means: the primary reason for supporting this program is because it will advance children’s education and support more children to succeed
Framing-vigilant means: the primary reason for supporting this program is because it will secure children’s education and prevent more children from failing
DVs: article, persuasiveness, and opinion of the proposal
Value of others (Hamstra et al., 2013)
Promotion VS prevention, focus measured
Framing of application letter of job candidate
Dvs: fit (how much medication did you put into evaluation the letter) and liking (4 items)
Interpersonal regulatory fit?
Hamstra et al., 2014 -Leader and follower
Culture (Zhang & Mittal, 2007)
Study 1- culture (USA independent VS, China interdependent)
Study 2-regulatory focus induced (promotion versus prevention)
Both:
Imagine planning a vacation ; 2 vacation spots with enriched (risky, but gain potential) or impoverished (average, but no loss potential) options
DVs: attractiveness of options
