Dynamics of self-regulation: How (un)accomplished goal actions affect motivation.

Abstract

Two factors increase the motivation to adhere to a goal: goal commitment and lack of goal progress. When people ask about commitment, focusing on what they have accomplished (to date) signals to them high commitment and increases motivation.Conversely, when commitment is certain and people ask about goal progress, focusing on what they have yet to accomplish (to go) signals to them lack of progress and increases motivation. Accordingly, 4 studies show that emphasizing to-date information increases goal adherence when commitment is uncertain-that is, when participants study for a relatively unimportant exam, consume luxuries, fulfill a desire, and make first-time contributions to a charity. Conversely, emphasizing to-go information increases goal adherence when commitment is certain-that is, when participants study for an important exam, consume necessities, fulfill a need, and make repeated contributions to a charity.

The Effect of Goal Specificity on Consumer Goal Reengagement

“…Our main finding is consistent with research showing that the motivation to continue pursuing a goal is sometimes greater when people focus on what they have accomplished and sometimes on what they still need to accomplish (Koo and Fishbach 2008) because the high-low range goal is able to potentially achieve both of these objectives. The low end of the high-low range goal can serve as a reference point for what has been accomplished and the high end of the high-low range goal can serve as a reference point for what still needs to be accomplished.…”

Oops I Did it Again: Examining Self‐Licensing Effects in a Subsequent Self‐Regulation Dilemma

“…A vignette study method was employed to present participants with a scenario in which they encountered a second self‐regulation dilemma after having made an indulgent choice. Vignettes have been used previously to study variables in very specific and controlled settings (Koo & Fishbach, , Studies 1–3; Graziano, Habashi, Sheese, & Tobin, ; Novemsky & Dhar, ; Zemack‐Rugar, Corus, & Brinberg, ), such as the present studies that require a sequence of specific events to take place (responding with indulgence in a first dilemma, experiencing a second dilemma), under certain conditions (being on a diet) that are hard to simulate in a lab setting. Still, to control for potential limitations of this method, participants were explicitly asked about their capacity to imagine themselves in the described situation.…”

The Effects of Goal Publicity and Self‐Monitoring on Escalation of Goal Commitment

“…Every day, consumers engage in a variety of goal pursuit decisions (Bagozzi & Dholakia, ; Fishbach & Dhar, ; Koo & Fishbach, ; Zhang, Fishbach, & Dhar, ). On their way to goal attainment, consumers sometimes encounter failure, and are then left to decide—should they persist with goal efforts or abandon the goal altogether (Fishbach & Dhar, ; Fishbach & Finkelstein, ; Soman & Cheema, )?…”

“…On their way to goal attainment, consumers sometimes encounter failure, and are then left to decide—should they persist with goal efforts or abandon the goal altogether (Fishbach & Dhar, ; Fishbach & Finkelstein, ; Soman & Cheema, )? Prior literature has mainly focused on: goal setting and goal striving (Bagozzi & Dholakia, ), self‐regulation and goal‐congruent behavioral choices (Fishbach & Dhar, ; Zhang & Huang, ), and goal progress and goal commitment (Etkin & Ratner, ; Fishbach & Dhar, ; Koo & Fishbach, ; Zhang & Huang, ). The authors extend current goal persistence research literature by focusing not on the goal progress and goal commitment alone, but on how people react to goal failures.…”