Final Exam Flashcards
(124 cards)
Relative benefits of self-set vs. participatively set vs. assigned goals?
– So long as goal commitment exists, doesn’t matter much where goal originated
– “tell” vs “tell and sell”
– Assigned goals vs. Personal goals
– Minimal goal
Is (self-set) goal selection a conscious process?
– Not necessarily—can operate at unconscious level
– Subgoals, in particular, are not necessarily consciously processed
– Environment can cue goals
– Simultaneous conscious and subconscious presentation of goals seems to have compound effect
“Goal-setting” and “goal-striving” processes
– Goal-setting refers to selecting an action goal (i.e., “what to do”)
– Goal-striving refers to the process of pursuing a goal, once selected
What is meant by self-regulation?
– Dynamic process of goal pursuit
– Maintaining regularity despite change
– Describes process of (a) setting a goal, (b) striving to reach the goal, (c) monitoring progress towards goal, and (d) modifying behaviors, and (e) providing self-rewards and punishments
What is Control Theory?
we compare where we are to where we want to be
– When discrepancy exists, we seek to reduce it
– Argues that discrepancy reduction is a basic, universal process
– Core of the model is the
Negative feedback loop:
What are Positive Feedback loops?
– Aim is to achieve distance from an undesired state
What is a Negative Feedback loop?
Developing actions to reduce discrepancy and move toward a desired state.
What is the notion of goal hierarchies?
– Means-ends relationships
– Lower-level (i.e., subordinate) goals are means (i.e., “how”) to achieving goals at higher levels (i.e., superordinate goals)
* Detection of discrepancies at higher level tends to activate relevant subgoals
– Higher-level goals are the “why” for lower-level goals
– Not to be confused with Maslow’s (and related) hierarchy!
What is self-efficacy?
Perceived ability; One’s belief in his or her ability to successfully perform a task
How is self-efficacy similar to and distinct from expectancy?
– SE pertains to perceived capability, expectancy pertains to perceived likelihood of outcome (e.g., success)
– SE influences expectancy, but expectancy also determined by external factors (luck, coworkers, etc.)
– In practice, often used interchangeably (although I recommend against it)
Is/should Self-Efficacy be considered task specific or a general belief?
– Bandura adamant it is a task-specific belief
* Can vary considerably across tasks, time, etc. – can be highly context specific
– Yet, also sound evidence for stable individual differences in Generalized Self-Efficacy
How does self-efficacy relate to effort and performance?
– Positive effects observed across wide range of contexts and outcomes (e.g., Stajkovic & Luthans, 1998)
– Cornerstone of numerous motivational theories
* e.g., Bandura’s Social-Cognitive Theory (SCT)
– Many interventions to increase self-efficacy
– Yet, relationship is more variable than traditionally recognized…
What are some of the ways we might reduce a discrepancy?
– Increase effort
– Decrease goal (downward goal revision)
– Change strategies
What factors determine which route we take?
– Expectancy and Self-efficacy
* Attributions
* Magnitude and/or persistence of discrepancy
– Valance
* Alternative means
– Individual differences (goal orientation, need for achievement, locus of control)
What do we do when we meet a goal?
– Set higher goal (upward goal revision/discrepancy production)?
– Coast? Reallocate?
– Under-researched topic
What is meant by “behavioral management”?
– Behaviors that positively effect performance must be contingently reinforced.
– Contingently administered money, feedback, and social recognition are the most recognized reinforcers in behavioral management at work
Core ideas of reinforcement theory
– Antecedent-behavior-consequence contingencies
– Positive reinforcement (good thing added upon desired behavior)
– Negative reinforcement (bad thing removed upon desired behavior)
– Positive punishment (bad thing added upon undesired behavior)
– Negative punishment (good thing removed upon undesired behavior)
Do money, feedback, and social recognition impact work performance?
(Stajkovic & Luthans)
– Money improved performance 23%, social recognition 17%, and feedback 10%
– Combination greater than sum of the parts
What role does leadership play in motivation?
– Sets goals
– Gets commitment
– Connects goals to internal desires of individuals (goal alignment and intrinsic
interest)
– Provides feedback and/or shapes interpretation and response to feedback
– Provides prioritization information
Normative (aka prescriptive) vs. behavioral (aka descriptive) models of decision-making
– Normative: what good/rational decision makers should do
– Behavioral: what decision makers actually do
Choice vs. Judgment
Choice: how do people make decisions with uncertain probabilities? (e.g., gambling metaphor, compare actual vs optimal choice)
Judgment: how do people transform information in the environment into judgments about the
future? (e.g., what is the relationship between predictors and outcome)
What is expected value in decision making choice?
Attractiveness of Option = Value of Outcome x Likelihood of its occurrence
How is expected value contrasted with subjective expected utility?
Diminishing perceived value as gains/losses increase/decrease (e.g., difference between $1K and 2K vs difference between $100K and 101K).
Explain risk in decision-making.
Risk averse, risk taking
Risk = uncertainty; when one is risk-averse - will choose sure thing over an option with uncertain outcome; when risk-seeking - choosing uncertain option over sure thing.