Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the title of the primary reading material for Weeks 14-17?
What is the title of the primary reading material for Weeks 14-17?
Which theme is NOT listed as part of the book's exploration?
Which theme is NOT listed as part of the book's exploration?
On which day can students drop-in to see Dr. Wisman?
On which day can students drop-in to see Dr. Wisman?
Which of the following is categorized as background reading?
Which of the following is categorized as background reading?
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Which concept is NOT mentioned as a theme in the book?
Which concept is NOT mentioned as a theme in the book?
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Which gender is typically associated with taking on more risky jobs?
Which gender is typically associated with taking on more risky jobs?
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What is a key factor influencing the setting and pursuit of goals?
What is a key factor influencing the setting and pursuit of goals?
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Why is setting goals considered a vital aspect of the self?
Why is setting goals considered a vital aspect of the self?
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Which aspect complicates the process of choosing among possible goals?
Which aspect complicates the process of choosing among possible goals?
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What comparison is made regarding setting goals between humans and animals?
What comparison is made regarding setting goals between humans and animals?
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What is a key factor in human actions according to the content?
What is a key factor in human actions according to the content?
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Which theory attributes the likelihood of organism response to the drive strength and stimuli intensity?
Which theory attributes the likelihood of organism response to the drive strength and stimuli intensity?
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What does the concept of 'self-regulation' primarily refer to?
What does the concept of 'self-regulation' primarily refer to?
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According to the research mentioned, what effect does imagining an action have?
According to the research mentioned, what effect does imagining an action have?
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What aspect did Skinner overlook in his behavioral theories?
What aspect did Skinner overlook in his behavioral theories?
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What is a primary component of effective self-regulation?
What is a primary component of effective self-regulation?
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Which factor can significantly impair self-monitoring during activities like dieting?
Which factor can significantly impair self-monitoring during activities like dieting?
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What role does willpower play in self-regulation?
What role does willpower play in self-regulation?
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What is an effective approach to dieting based on self-regulation principles?
What is an effective approach to dieting based on self-regulation principles?
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What is a common misconception about willpower?
What is a common misconception about willpower?
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What term describes the phenomenon where willpower can be gradually weakened?
What term describes the phenomenon where willpower can be gradually weakened?
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Which behavior is likely to undermine effective self-monitoring in dieting?
Which behavior is likely to undermine effective self-monitoring in dieting?
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Freud suggested that self-destructive behaviors could stem from which concept?
Freud suggested that self-destructive behaviors could stem from which concept?
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What is a characteristic of incremental theorists?
What is a characteristic of incremental theorists?
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Which group describes visualizing positive outcomes as a strategy?
Which group describes visualizing positive outcomes as a strategy?
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How do higher levels of meaning differ from lower levels in terms of emotional impact?
How do higher levels of meaning differ from lower levels in terms of emotional impact?
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What may cause individuals to be more vulnerable to influence and change views?
What may cause individuals to be more vulnerable to influence and change views?
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What is one possible consequence of focusing on lower levels of meaning?
What is one possible consequence of focusing on lower levels of meaning?
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What adjustment might help individuals change from an entity to an incremental mindset?
What adjustment might help individuals change from an entity to an incremental mindset?
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What concern does the concept of 'learned helplessness' relate to?
What concern does the concept of 'learned helplessness' relate to?
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Reflecting on one's goals is important for which reason?
Reflecting on one's goals is important for which reason?
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What term describes the tendency for plans to be overly optimistic, especially over longer time spans?
What term describes the tendency for plans to be overly optimistic, especially over longer time spans?
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How does the Zeigarnik effect relate to task completion?
How does the Zeigarnik effect relate to task completion?
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What phenomenon explains why people are most likely to buy expensive tickets for events in the short term?
What phenomenon explains why people are most likely to buy expensive tickets for events in the short term?
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What psychological process prevents others from interfering in an individual's goal pursuit?
What psychological process prevents others from interfering in an individual's goal pursuit?
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What aspect of human behavior is influenced by the perception of freedom?
What aspect of human behavior is influenced by the perception of freedom?
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In which context are people more likely to feel they have free choice?
In which context are people more likely to feel they have free choice?
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What is the primary focus of long-term plans compared to short-term ones?
What is the primary focus of long-term plans compared to short-term ones?
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What can be a consequence of manipulating the absence of free will in individuals?
What can be a consequence of manipulating the absence of free will in individuals?
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Study Notes
Course Information
- Course title: PSYC 6392: Personality and Social Psychology
- Week: 6
- Chapter: 4, The Self in Action
- Instructor: Dr Arnaud Wisman
Instructor Information
- Name: Dr Arnaud (Rknow) Wisman
- Email: [email protected]
- Role: Lecturer in Social and Evolutionary Psychology
- Drop-in Hours: Tuesdays 16:00-17:00 & Wednesdays 12:00-13:00 via teams or by appointment
Main Readings
- Handbook: Social Psychology and Human Nature by Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2020), Thomson Wadsworth International ed, paperback (Green slides)
- Background/Advanced: Advanced social psychology: The state of the science by Finkel, E. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (Eds.). (2019), Oxford University Press.
Themes of the Book (Orange Slides)
- The long road towards social acceptance
- Is bad better than good?
- Social psychology of sex
- Eating habits
- Duplex mind
- Evolution
- What relevance is there for me?
The Self in Action, Choices and Actions
- Part 1: Planning, goals, and meaning
- Part 2: Freedom and Choice
- Part 3: Self-Regulation, Irrationality and Self-Destruction (Self-regulation failure)
The Self in Action
Skinner Failed to Acknowledge Meaning
- Likelihood of organism responding to stimuli
- Drive strength
- Incentive
- Hull, 1943
- Habit strength
- Stimuli intensity
What You Do, and What It Means
- Human actions are based on meaning, learned by culture
- Meaning is a network of meaning (e.g., "cartoon coyote" vs. "coyote")
- Thinking (self-simulator) allows use of meaning, perform actions mentally before physically
But... Is All Imagining the Same?
- Imagining something makes it more likely to happen (Taylor & Pham, 1996)
- Group A: Keeping track of how much you study; Group B: Imagine hard work and good results; Group C: Imagine doing well and walking home with a smile.
Levels of Meaning
- "By" test to differentiate level of meaning (making marks on paper, taking tests for education)
- Higher levels are more meaningful (bigger emotional impact)
- Focus on lower levels to solve problems; higher levels may invoke guilt
- Lower levels focus on details of operation
How to Become a “Good” Soldier?
- World War 2 (WW2) data: On average, in a squad of 10 men, fewer than three ever fired their weapons in combat.
Change of Views
- Focus on low-level meaning — vulnerable to influence & views change
- Focus on high-level meaning — change behavior by shifting to a lower level and then back to a high level
But... Can We Really Change? (Dweck, 1996)
- Entity theorists (internal): Enjoy success, learned helplessness, failure is internal
- Incremental theorists (external): Enjoy learning, strive to improve, failure is external
Goals
- Why do you have goals? (E.g., gender differences in risky jobs)
Goals & Plans
- Ideas of some desired future state
- Link between values and action
- Do we need the self? What about animals?
- Goals are influenced by inner processes and cultural factors
- Setting and pursuing goals is a vital job of the self
Goals, Plans, Intentions
- Setting goals: choosing possible goals, evaluating feasibility
- Pursuing goals: planning and behaviors to reach goals
Goals, Plans, Intentions (Mindsets)
- Setting goals = realistic
- Pursuing goals = optimistic (e.g., build a bridge)
- Goals help resume interrupted activity
Goals, Plans, Intentions (Goal Setting/Pursuit/Striving Tables)
- Function, Attitude, Mental Focus, Core Question, Style of Thought: (Tables outlining differences in goal setting/pursuit)
Pursue Goals
- Conscious and automatic systems
- Set goals
- Resume activity after interruption (e.g., goal shielding)
- Devise alternative plans
- Automatic system: Zeigarnik effect (guilty conscience), brain good at memorizing incomplete tasks.
How to Reach Your Goals? & Plans
- Interlinked, hierarchy of goals (distal & proximal goals)
- Problem with only distal goals?
- Problem with only proximal goals?
- Planning focus on reaching goals, specific guidelines to motivate
Daily Plans - Or Monthly - Or No Planning?
- Drawbacks of detailed or rigid plans, too much planning might be discouraging
- Plans are often overly optimistic
When Most Likely to Buy Expensive Ticket?
- Likelihood of buying a ticket (expensive vs. cheap) for an event tomorrow vs. next year (graph included)
Recap Part 1
- Human behavior depends on meaning
- Incremental vs. entity theorists
- Goals are ideas of desired future states
- Pursuing goals requires planning
- Conscious & automatic systems help with goal pursuit
- The Zeigarnik effect (remembering incomplete tasks)
- Goals shielding
- People's plans are often overly optimistic
Part 2: Freedom and Choice
- Free will? (YouTube links for lectures)
- Experiencing "More or Less Free" (external constraints)
- Perceived freedom produces benefits
- Manipulated absence of free will — amoral behavior (cheating)
- Experiment: Panic button effect, or how to solve puzzles with loud blasts of noise.
- Reactance theory:
- 'Reverse psychology', Consequences of restrictions, reasserting freedom, aggression toward restrictions
Making Choices
- Two steps: Narrowing down choices, Carefully comparing remaining options (e.g., buying only Nike shoes)
Making Choices (Alternatives)
- Are more options better? Balance between not enough, or too much choice.
- (Scheibehenne, Greifeneder, & Todd 2008;White et al., 2008)
Is Bad Stronger Than Good? Avoiding Losses Versus Pursuing Gains
- Bad outcomes of losing — a stronger effect than good outcomes of winning (gambling examples)
- More willing to gamble compared to a certain loss
- Influenced more by what they stand to lose
- What will you remember more vividly: loss or gain?
Influences on Choice
- Risk aversion (bad is stronger than good)
- Temporal discounting (immediate reward vs. delayed reward for example $10)
- Certainty effect (certain outcome over probability)
Influences on Choice (Cont.)
- Keeping option open
- Status quo bias (doing nothing,default option)
- Omission bias (default option thinking: e.g internet)
The Social Side of Sex, Gender, Sex and Decisions,
- Genders base sex on various factors ( women can have sex anytime)
- Error management theory (evolutionary roots)
- Considering temporal discounting, risk aversion, keeping options open and certainty effect to avoid errors.
The Aroused Mind
- Temporal discounting and attractive opposite sex - effect increases
- Attractive vs unattractive: men prioritize immediate gratification (present)
- 12 pictures of attractive vs. unattractive people (DV)
- Present reward vs. delayed reward (10$) (See also Wisman & Thomas, 2022)
Recap Part 2
- Belief in free will => pro-social actions & flexibility
- Panic button effect — escape option reduces stress
- Certainty effect, status quo bias, omission bias, risk aversion, temporal discounting
- Error management theory: different types of errors for both genders
Part 3 - Self-regulation/Self-control
- What's the common factor (e.g., transmitted diseases, crime, relationship issues)?
- Self-regulation's influence on health, sex, criminal behavior, money, relationships
Self-Regulation
- Effective self-regulation relies on standards (what not to do)
- Monitoring: keeping track of behaviors (thermostat: TOTE model)
- Capacity to change (willpower) and aligning behavior with standards
Undermining Monitoring
- Examples of undermining: dieting (eating more TV), alcohol intoxication (lose track of monitoring)
Self-Regulation (Capacity to Change)
- Willpower/ego-depletion: willpower can be depleted (resisting temptations)
- Willpower strengthens with practice
Let's Look at Replication issues
- Depletion clip (Baumeister)
- Replication issues
- General comments on replication issues from Gilbert
Classic Willpower Study (Baumeister et al., 1998)
- Results of a study on willpower (e.g., eat radish, eat chocolate, no-food control) (graph included)
Food for Thought (Dieting)
- Self-regulation Principles for effective dieting (Committing to standards)
- High level and low level goals
- Monitoring (Self-satnav)
- Keeping track of what you eat and what you weigh
- Increasing willpower and decreasing other demands
- 'First line defense approach'
Irrationality and Self-Destruction
- Why do we behave so self-destructively?
Self-Defeating Acts: Why Self-Destructive?
- Paradoxical: rational beings acting irrationally
- Death wish/fear of success
- People almost never directly seek failure
- Self-defeating actions from tradeoffs (e.g., sex now, risk of STD later)
Pathways to Self-Defeating Behaviors
- Self-defeating tradeoffs (immediate reward, delayed cost/e.g., smoking)
- Self-handicapping ("I do my best work under pressure")
- Faulty knowledge, strategies, such as procrastination
Tradeoffs - Now Versus Tomorrow
- Overemphasize the present, delay of gratification
- Capacity to delay gratification
- resisting temptations (avoiding sight/thought)
Recap Part 3
- Self-regulation(altering response)
- Three components of self-regulation (standards, monitoring, willpower/capacity)
- TOTE loop
- Willpower functions like a muscle
- Self-defeating behavior — suffering
- Capacity of delay, short-term sacrifice for long-term reward
What Makes Us Human?
- Elaborate inner system for controlling behavior
- Making choices in novel ways
- Linking here-and-now with distant realities
- Using complex reasoning processes (better-developed self-regulation)
- Capacity for self-destructive behavior
Classic Mischel Studies Clip
Extra Slides (Not Exam)
- Emotion regulation skills to reduce procrastination
- Tolerating, modifying negative emotions.
- Remembering toughness/resilience.
- Creating/increasing affective commitment to task.
Additional Notes/Other
- Course website or platform (Active-Class.com, sign-up instruction)
- Weekly schedule (January 2022)
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Description
Test your knowledge of the key themes and concepts from Chapters 14-17 of the psychology reading material. This quiz covers important factors related to goal setting, self-regulation, and theories of human behavior. Challenge yourself to recall details about background readings and key concepts discussed in these chapters.
