Exam 2 Lecture 1

Question 1

self control

Answer 1

the ability to control one’s emotions, behavior, and desires to obtain some reward or avoid some punishment

Question 2

what does self control often involve?

Answer 2

foregoing immediate (less preferred) rewards, for delayed (more preferred) rewards

Question 3

examples of self control

Answer 3

• not smoking to live longer

- saving money for retirement instead of buying new clothes

Question 4

what do consumers most commonly experience if they fail to exercise self control?

Answer 4

regret

Question 5

cool features

Answer 5

shape, size texture, and/or imagine that the marshmallow is a cotton ball or cloud

Question 6

hot features

Answer 6

sweetness, stickiness, tastiness

Question 7

cool v. hot

Answer 7

• significantly greater self control was observed in the cool condition
• suggests that features associated with cognitive (vs. emotional) system increase self control

Question 8

mind vs. heart cognitive resource manipulation

Answer 8

• low resources- asked to keep an 8-digit # in mind while choosing
• high resources - not distracted while choosing

Question 9

mind vs. heart presentation mode of the options

Answer 9

• real mode - the actual cake and fruit salad is in front of them
• symbolic mode- pictures of the cake and fruit salad are in front of them

Question 10

results of mind vs. heart

Answer 10

those with the cake in front of them that were memorizing the 8 digit number were more likely to choose the cake

Question 11

visceral factors: hot-cold empathy gap

Answer 11

when in a cold (unemotional) state, we tend to under appreciate the effect of hot states on our behavior

Question 12

hot states =

Answer 12

• emotions (anger), drives (hunger), and other feelings (pain)
• these are extremely strong motivators that consume the majority of a persons immediate attention and efforts
• because the drive is so strong it is difficult for the person to exercise self-control

Question 13

examples of when visceral factors come into play

Answer 13

• going out to the bar while trying to quit smoking/drinking
• failure to set a “snooze” alarm
• not discarding junk food when starting a diet

Question 14

how does self control work?

Answer 14

• like a muscle, it can only be taxed to a certain point

- it can be strengthened with practice

Question 15

how is self control weakened?

Answer 15

by a prior act of volition (self-control)

Question 16

chocolate and radishes study

Answer 16

• have participants eat what their assigned (either two radishes or two cookies) while supervisor is gone
• have participants solve (impossible) problems
• test how many problems they try and for how long they persist

Question 17

making choices is depleting

Answer 17

• if you spent all day making a lot of decisions while shopping, you completed less of the math problems and got less correct
• parole example: better decisions are made when rested

Question 18

where does procrastination come from?

Answer 18

false perceptions of resource slack

Question 19

resource slack

Answer 19

the perceived surplus of a given resource available to complete a focal task without causing failure to achieve goals associated with competing uses of the same resource

Question 20

sightseeing

Answer 20

• you rarely see attractions in your own town
• perceive future slack: I can see them anytime
• no slack: your on vacation, you’ve got to see it now

Question 21

saving

Answer 21

-people fail to save because in short run, savings is construed as a major cost, one that will be more affordable in the richer future

Question 22

refinancing

Answer 22

• people fail to refinance because in the short run it requires a big time investment
• additionally, they assume that they’ll be able to better handle this time investment in the future

Question 23

control level theory (CLV)

Answer 23

• future overcommitment due to changes in mental representation
• bday party example: get more stressed about it the closer to the date

Question 24

CLV desirability

Answer 24

valence of an action’s end state, the “why” aspects (getting a high grade in a course)

Question 25

CLV feasibility

Answer 25

ease or difficulty of reaching the end state, the how aspects (amount of time and effort to get that grade)

Question 26

CLV prediction

Answer 26

the influence of desirability (v. feasibility) considerations will be stronger on distant (v. near) future decisions

Question 27

you vs. future you

Answer 27

greater connectedness to the future self increases self patience (self-control)

Question 28

how do we control ourselves to do the right thing?

Answer 28

to decrease vicious behavior, raise the price

• throw away cigs
• alarm clock on other side of bed
• buy in smaller units

Question 29

additional ways to do the right thing

Answer 29

• arger units, flat fees, indirect costs, defaults

- pre commitment to avoid temptation

Question 30

self impulse control

Answer 30

people seem to ration their supply of vices to control their consumption