Promotion and prevention Theory of Tory Higgins

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Promotion and preventionTheory of Tory Higgins

• Lecture 5

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Approach vs. avoidance

• Approach towards positive goals
• Avoidance away from negative goals
• Different types of positive goals

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Goals and evaluation

• Minimal goals
• Maximal goals

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Minimal and maximal goals and evaluation of
outcome
Minimal goal
Negative
Non-negative
Maximal goal
Positive
Non-positive
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Promotion and prevention theory of Tory Higgins

• Two regulatory modes
• Through positive states promotion mode
  (promotion focus)
• Through negative states prevention mode
  (prevention focus)

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Discrepancies within the self (Tory Higgins)

• Ideal self whom I would like to be
• Ought self whom I should be
• Reflected self who the others would like me to
  be
• Real self who I am

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Ideal vs. ought self

• Who I want to be (my hope, aspirations) vs. who I
  ought to be (norms, moral principles)
• I want vs. I have to
• Id vs. superego
• My own goals (internalized) vs. goals imposed by
  society

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Ideals vs. oughts

• Ideals maximal goals
• Goal-consistency positive outcome
• Goal-inconsistency non-positive outcome
• Oughts minimal goals
• Goal-consistency non-negative result
• Goal-inconsistency negative result

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Minimal and maximal goals and evaluation of
outcome
Minimal goal
Negative
Non-negative
Maximal goal
Positive
Non-positive
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Promotion and prevention theory of Tory Higgins

• Two regulatory modes
• Focus on ideals ? Maximizing positive states ?
  promotion focus
• Focus on oughts ?Minimizing negative states ?
  prevention focus

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Promotion vs. prevention

• Differences in upbringing
• Differences in experienced emotions
• Differences in risk behavior

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Promotion focus
Sensitivity to presence or absence of positive
outcomes
Nurturance needs
Promotion focus
Strong ideals
Approach as strategy
Insure hits and insure against Errors of omission
Gain/non-gain situations
Cheerfulness/dejection emotions
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Prevention focus
Sensitivity to absence or presence of negative
outcomes
Security needs
Prevention focus
Strong oughts
Avoidance as strategy
Insure correct rejections and Insure against
errors of commission
Non-loss/loss situations
Queiscence/agitation emotions
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Promotion vs. Prevention and risk-seeking

• Promotion ? minimizing false negatives ? risk
  seeking
• Prevention ? minimizing false positives ? risk
  aversion

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Categorization decisions
predictor H
Alternative predictor non-H
a Hits
c False negatives
Outcome
Alternative Outcome
b False positives
d Correct rejections
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Passed the test
Failed / did not take the test
fit
misfit
fit
misfit
Hit
False positive
False negative
Correct rejection
Promotion minimizes this
Prevention minimizes this
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Risk behavior and categorization decisions

• minimizing false positives? risk aversion
• minimizing false negatives ? risk seeking

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Promotion vs. Prevention and emotions

• Regulatory modes and the emotional circumplex of
  Russell and Mehrabian
• Telic vs. Paratelic motivation

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Promotion vs. prevention and categorization
processes - summary

• Dont accept the undesirable
• Minimize false alarms
• Negativity effect
• Risk-avoidance
• Preservation of status quo (security,
  conservation)

• Dont reject the desirable
• Minimize misses
• Positivity effect
• Risk-seeking
• Change of status quo (development, optimization)

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Summary of the two regulatory modes
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Other correlates
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Promotion prevention as trait and state

• Dispositional trait - chronic regulatory focus
• Situationally evoked mode focus on promotion
  vs. prevention

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Promotion/prevention as disposition measurement
methods

• Self-guide Strength Measure based on reaction
  time to ideals- and oughts- associated contents
• Regulatory Focus Questionnaire 11 items, scale
  1-5 (exemplary items)
• Compared to most people are you typicaly unable
  to get what you want out of life? (promotion-
  reversed)
• Not being careful enough has gotten me into
  trouble at time (prevention reversed)
• I feel like I have made progress toward being
  successful in my life (promotion)
• Did you get on your parents nerves often when
  you were growing up (prevention reversed)

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Prmotion vs. prevention as state

• Priming of oughts vs. ideals
• Focus on positives (eager strategy) vs.
  elimination of negatives (vigilant strategy)
• Presentation of a task as gain vs. loss
  prevention
• You get 3 during the task you can receive more
  (promotion) vs. you get 6 during the task you
  can lose part of the sum (prevention)
• Instruction how much you would have gained if
  you chose X (promotion) vs. how much you would
  have lost if you have not chosen X (prevention)
• Find useful elements (promotion) vs. eliminate
  harmful elements (prevention)

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Consequences of regulatory fit
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Promowanie-zapobieganie a inne teorie
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James A. Russell (University of British Columbia)
Kolowa teoria emocji (emotional circumplex)

• Dwa wymiary emocji
• Znak (przyjemny przykry)
• Pobudzenie (wysokie niskie pobudzenie)

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Emotional circumplex
High arousal
hectic
active
exciting
frenzied
alive
rushed
exhilirating
intense
interesting
panicky
arousing
tense
forceful
stimulating
sensational
uncomfortable
positive
pleasing
repulsive
dissatisfying
pretty
unpleasant
negative
beautiful
pleasant
nice
displeasing
unstimulating
serene
dreary
inactive
restful
peaceful
dull
calm
boring
idle
drowsy
tranquil
monotoneous
lazy
slow
After Russell, Lanius, 1984
Low arousal
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Emotional circumplex and promotion-prevention
High arousal
Anxiety
Excitement
PROMOTION
PREVENTION
Pleasant
Unpleasant
Relaxation
Boredom
Low arousal
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Promotion prevention and telic vs. paratelic
motivation
Theory of Michael Apter
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Telic vs. paratelic motivation
activity
Telic motivation
goal
goal
Paratelic motivation
activity
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Michael J. Apter
vs
Donald O. Hebb
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Telic vs. paratelic motivation

• TELIC
• Initiated by unpleasant arousal (anxiety)
• Ultimate goal relaxation
• High arousal unpleasant
• Low arousal pleasant
• Motivation avoiding overly stimulating
  environments

• PARATELIC
• Initiated by low arousal (boredom)
• Ultimate goal excitement
• High arousal pleasant
• Low arousal unpleasant
• Motivation looking for stimulating environments

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Emotional circumplex and telic-paratelic
motivation
High arousal
Anxiety
Excitement
PARATELIC
TELIC
Pleasant
Unpleasant
Relaxation
Boredom
Low arousal
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Is the dichotomy of promotion v. prevention
related to other dichotomies?
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Promotion-prevention and temporal perspective
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Mental construal theory by Yaacov Trope and Nira
Liberman

• Psychological distance
• Temporal close vs. distant events
• Spatial close vs. distant situations and objects
• Social us vs. them
• Psychological real vs. hypothetical

Yaacov Trope
Nira Liberman
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Representation of objects and events depends on
psychological distance

• The more distant (temporal, spatial,
  psychological) the more
• Abstract
• Polarized unambiguously positive or negative
• Homogeneous
• Future behaviors categorized on higher
  identification level than present behaviors
• (what are you doing? vs. what will you be doing?)
• Works both ways
• Perspective? categoryzation
• Categorization ? perspective

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Promotion-prevention and mental construal

• Promotion ? more psychological distance
• Prevention ? less psychological distance

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Summary either or vs. necessary balance?

• Consquences of prevention only?
• Consequences of promotion only?