motivation and goals

Question 1

goals

Answer 1

the object of a person’s ambition or effort

aim or desired result

span from momentary to life long

Question 2

what is a common assumption about goal completion

Answer 2

that motivation is the key to achieving our goals

Question 3

motivation

Answer 3

reason (s) that you have for behaving in a particular way

internal state(s) that drive you to engage in goal directed behaviour

Question 4

expectancy value theory

Answer 4

motivation is determined by:

expectancy: whether we expect that we can accomplish the goal if we attempt it

values (4 types): how much we value the goal/find it worth doing

high motivation = high expectancy and high value

Question 5

why is setting realistic goals important

Answer 5

because we tend to have stronger motivation if we believe that a goal is achievable

Question 6

what are the four types of value

Answer 6

1. importance
2. intrinsic value
3. utility
4. cost

Question 7

importance

Answer 7

how important is it to do well on a goal?

how central is the goal to our sense of self

Question 8

intrinsic value

Answer 8

to what extent do you want to do the goal for its inherent satisfaction?

Question 9

utility

Answer 9

how useful do you find the goal for your life? what’s the benefit?

often related to how useful a specific task is for the pursuit of other, higher-order goals

Question 10

cost

Answer 10

what does the goal cost you? time? money? boredom? procrastination is often due to a goal being costly

this is the one value factor that hinders motivation

Question 11

expectancy and value relationship

Answer 11

highly positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with cost, suggesting that they track one another

even though in theory, they are separate dimensions

Question 12

expectancy and value during lectures

Answer 12

tracked student’s expectancies, perception of value, and costs during university lectures

found that expectancies and values tended to co occur and were negatively related to perceived cost

Question 13

what is the problem with expectancy value theory

Answer 13

assumes that motivation is the key to achieving our goals

however, motivation is inconsistent and doesn’t always translate to progress on goals

Question 14

what is another important aspect to goal completion besides motivation

Answer 14

self control - the ability to successfully resolve a self control dilemma (override or change one’s inner responses as well as to interrupt undesired behavioural tendencies and to refrain from acting on them)

Question 15

self control dilemma

Answer 15

conflict between an immediate urge/desire vs a higher order goal

Question 16

trait self control

Answer 16

people vary in trait self control…some people are consistently better able to successfully deal with self control dilemmas

Question 17

what are some of the positive effects of trait self control

Answer 17

meta analysis of 93 studies shows that higher trait self control is associated with:
- better performance at school and work
- sustaining healthy relationships
- less binge eating
- better wellbeing

Question 18

why are some people better at self control/

Answer 18

people high on trait self control experience fewer self control dilemmas
- report fewer experiences of temptation in everyday life, suggesting that they barely have to use effortful self control

Question 19

does self control matter for successful goal attainment - mcgill study

Answer 19

study that found that exerting more self control was unrelated to successful goal completion

• had ps set goals and them asked them throughout the day how tempted they felt to behave out of line with the goal and how much self control they used
• also asked how tired they felt at night
• months later, asked if they had completed goal

experiencing less temptation led to feeling less tired and more successful goal completion

Question 20

paradox of self control

Answer 20

good self control is not about effortfully inhibiting an undesirable response
- evidenced by high trait self control people experiencing fewer temptations

exerting self control in the moment doesn’t seem to be related to goal attainment

Question 21

why do high trait self control experience less temptation? (4 reasons)

Answer 21

1. better at setting goals that are intrinsically rewarding
2. rely on routines and habits
3. structure their lives on such a way that they don’t experience temptation
4. identify self control dilemmas (temptation) earlier

Question 22

study: how do high trait self control people react to self control dilemmas?

Answer 22

-mouse tracking study
findings:
- people with high trait self control experience the same amount of temptation on an unconscious level
- however, they detect the self control dilemma earlier
- and deny concsciously experiencing any temptation

Question 23

effortless self control

Answer 23

high trait self control people are so effective at identifying and resolving self control dilemma unconsciously that they consciously experience less temptation

means that self control is an automatic process

Question 24

implementations intentions

Answer 24

a way to make goal pursuit feel more effortless
- a very specific plan about how you will achieve a goal in a particular situation

links a situation with a specific action
- “when situation X arises, I will perform response Y”

solves the problem of goals being too vague and increases commitment by focusing on one method of achieving a goal

Question 25

why are implementation intentions important

Answer 25

having too many ways to complete a goal reduces commitment to any one particular option, making you less likely to complete the goal

having many options can be overwhelming

studies have found that when people set implementation intentions, they are more likely to complete the goal - more effective than boosting motivation

Question 26

goal difficulty and implementation intentions

Answer 26

implementation intentions are useful for completing difficult goals, but less relevant for completing easy goals

Question 27

what are two reasons why implementation intentions are helpful?

Answer 27

1. heightened accessibility of situational cues (when)
   - improves ability to detect the situational cue relevant to our goal
2. formation of a strong mental link between the situation cue and the action
   - consequently, automates action initiation

Question 28

study: do implementation intentions create a strong link between a cue and an action?

Answer 28

dutch bike users vs non bike users
- had them either: make a plan specifying where, when, how to reach dif locations in the city (everywhere reachable by bike) or make a plan for how to repair a flat tire (control)

then measured rt for how long it took them to identify if biking was a realistic transportation mode of reaching a particular location

found that even in non bikers, implementation intention condition increased reaction time - showing that they create a strong link between goals and actions

Question 29

implications of implementation intentions

Answer 29

• allow goal pursuit to become automatic
• removes the need for a conscious decision
• relies less on effortful self control
• intended action is executed more effortlessly

Question 30

what is the real key to goal completion

Answer 30

automaticity
- engaging in processes that make success feel more effortless/automatic
- setting goals that feel intrinsically valuable
- habits
- structuring your life to avoid temptations
- forming implementations for goals, especially if they’re difficult