Test 6 Flashcards
Task Aversiveness
The extent to which a task or behaviour is perceived to be unpleasant or unenjoyable to perform.
Self-handicapping
A cognitive strategy by which people create excuses to protect self-esteem.
Provides justifications for failure.
Chronic Procrastinators
Tend to find more of life’s chores and duties unpleasant.
Habit Slips
When an intended action and a habit share a performance context or some action component and the habit overrides the expected action.
Humans appear to slip up by performing unwanted habits about 6 times a week.
Forming Habits
Frequent and consistent pairing of a cue and an action which becomes an automatic response to the cue.
Breaking Habits
Frequent violation of the pairing of a cue and corresponding response.
Habit Slips - Pigeons
Research question: Can habits take over the decision process?
Activity: Peck a lighted button and get food.
Groups: Pigeons pecked at a lighted button.
Results: Even when a bowl of grain was placed in front of the pigeons, they still pecked at the lighted button.
Importance: Habits can take over the decision process.
Habit Slips - Rats
Research question: Can habits take over the decision process?
Activity: Navigate a maze and earn food at the end.
Groups: Rats navigated a maze.
Results: Even when a pile of food was placed halfway through the maze, the rats still ran to the end of the maze.
Importance: Habits can take over the decision process.
Characteristics of Goals
Difficult
Achievable
Short-term
Specific
Goals are Directive
Direct attention and effort towards goal-relevant activities, and away from goal-irrelevant activities.
Goals are Energizing
Difficult goals lead to greater effort than easy goals.
Goals Prolong Effort
When people control the time they spend on a task, difficult goals increase the length of time for which they work on a task.
People work faster and more intensely for a short period when they have a goal in mind.
Goals Guide Work
Goals act like landmarks which guide and orient work.
Goals Increase Commitment
The relation between setting goals and improved performance is strongest when people are committed to their goals.
Uninterested Math Students
Research question: Do goals affect test results?
Activity: Take a math test.
Groups: One control group had no goals or training.
One “no goals” group had training, but no goals.
One “long-term goals” group had training and long-term goals.
One “short-term goals” group had training and short-term goals.
Results: The “short-term goals” group had the best test performance.
Importance: Short-term goals have a dramatic impact on test results.
Long-term goals decrease self-efficacy.
