Task 5 Flashcards
Role Model
Special kind of comparison target
- very specific target
- often a superior other
- can influence our behaviour & motivations, self-evaluation, decision making & goal achievement
Role Models as Behavioural Models
- role model posses skills & display techniques which the actor (thinks they) lacks
- from whom the actor can learn by comparison & observation
Role Models as Future or Possible Selves
- teach us not how possible, but that something is possible
e.g. female president
Role Model as Inspiration
- role models that away inspire
- teach by example
- excite admiration & emulation
- some role models are just inspiring in what they convey about how one should live
- goes hand in hand with role model as future selves
Online Influencers
- more recent type of role models
- instagram posts evoke envy through social comparison
- Facebook profiles of attractive individuals evoked depressed feelings though social comparison process
> but mainly among women & individuals who aren’t that popular in real life
Principles how role models influence us
- Relevance
- Attainability
- Positive or negative?
Relevance
- when identification is possible –> influence
- gender, age, ethnicity, attitudes, personality, background interest
- ## highly attractive others influence perceptions of one’s own attractiveness only id they are the same sex
Attainability
Is the success of the comparison target attainable?
- could role model be future you?
yes:
- provides an indication of particular goals to aim for
- points to road one should (could) follow
- makes one feel more competent & capable of similar achievements
–> Inspiration, encouragement, motivation
no:
- could lead to discouragement demoralisation
- highlights one’s own failures & shortcomings
Positive or negative?
Is the role model and/or the behaviour/attitudes displayed positive or negative?
- exhibit positive or negative behaviour (to be avoided)?
- depends on regulatory focus
Positive Role Models
- individuals who have achieved outstanding success
- e.g. star athletes
- they inspire by illustrating ans ideal, desired self, highlighting possible achievements that one can strive for, and demonstrating the route for achieving them
- inspire others by encouraging the pursuit of success
- highlight possible achievements
- demonstrate the route to get there
- they can motivates by giving a guid in how to achieve success
- personification of plausible desired selves that people can realistically aspire to become and illustrate the means for achieving these desired selves
Negative Role Models
- Individuals who have experienced misfortune
- e.g. public announcements with examples of AIDS patients, smokers that got lung cancers
- inspire by illustrating feared, to-be-avoided self
- show possible future disasters & highlight mistakes that need to be prevented
- motivate by showing key strategies for avoiding failure
- personify unwanted, feared selves & highlight ways of forestalling such selves
- individuals report that Social comparison wore-off others in domains such s marital satisfaction & health can be distressing bc reminder of a possible negative future
Role Models & Regulatory Focus
Influences the inspirational impact of positive/negative role models
2 types:
- prevention-focused
- promotion-focused
- also influenced by information sensitivity & stability of regulatory focus
Promotion-focused
striving to achieve an ideal self, and so produce sensitivity to the absence of positive outcomes
- eager pursuit of gains or success (strategies used)
concerned with
- advancement
- growth accomplishment
- maximising success
When driven by Promotion-goals:
- scrutinise their social world for information that beards on the pursuit of success
- especially well-attuned to emotions relating to the successful or unsuccessful pursuit of positive outcomes
- tend to focus on interpersonal strategies geared toward promoting desired outcomes
- show especially high motivation and persistence on tasks that are framed in terms of promotion
- are concerned with achieving their hopes, whites and aspirations
Prevention-focused
striving to avoid disaster, and so produce a sensitivity to the presence or absence of negative outcomes
- vigilant avoidance of losses or failure (strategies used)
concerned with
- security
- safety
- responsibility
- minimising failure
- focus on information relevant to the avoidance failure
- especially likely to notice & recall information relating to the avoidance of failure by others
- particularly well-attended to emotions relating to the success or unsuccessful avoidance of negative outcomes
- tend to focus on interpersonal strategies geared toward preventing negative outcomes
- tend to show high motivation and persistence on tasks that are framed in terms of prevention
- are concerned with safety, protection, responsibility
Information sensitivity & regulatory focus
- people are especially sensitive to info that fits their dominant regulatory focus (promotion or prevention)
- they show enhanced motivation & performance when they are encouraged to pursue strategies that match their regulatory concerns
Stability of regulatory focus
- although there are stable individual differences in dominant regulatory ficus, one’s current focus also depends on situational factors
Priming & regulatory focus
- possible ti induce promotion or prevention goals by framing possible rewards or penalties for performance
- either in terms of benefits to be Gaines
- or in terms of losses to be avoided (priming prevention)
- regulatory focus can also be primed by having participants describe personal experiences relevant either to promotion or to prevention
Motivational Theory of Role Modelling
proposes different types of role models (behavioural, possible selves, inspirations) lead to certain motivations to achieve a goal, learn a skill etc. via different pathways
- goal embodiment:
Do they model the approach or avoid behaviour? - Attainability
–> 1 & 2 influence expectancy - desirability
–> influences value
Obama effect
the success of a role model may shield stereotyped targets from the negative effects of stereotyped threat (increased academic performance in black students that watched his speech)
- Buffering effects: if he can, I ca
Stereotype Threat
process whereby you know that you are part of a group in society that is the target of a lot of stereotype
- e.g in academic context: aware of stereotype –> feel threatened –> try to disprove (get high grades) or engage in self-fulfilling prophecies
Role Models & Mimicry
Study by Late et al:
exposed women to four pictures of the Clintons
- open vs closed body picture
- Hillary vs Bill Clinton
After look at picture, had to give a speech
- women exposed to Hillary “open” role model (=power) but not the male “open” role model had a more open body posture themselves
- role models have an effect on body posture which creates mimicry