The role of metamotivation in creating task-motivation fit.

Abstract

One of the challenges of effective goal pursuit is being able to flexibly adapt to changing situations and demands. The current studies investigate whether individuals exhibit effective metamotivation-successful management of one's motivational states-in creating fit between an optimal motivational orientation and specific task demands (e.g., inducing a promotion focus, as opposed to prevention focus, in preparation for an eager brainstorming task). Using regulatory focus theory as a framework, 5 studies provide evidence that although North American individuals exhibit some metamotivational awareness of task-motivation fit in the realm of regulatory focus, they may also have competing beliefs that promotion motivation is generally better, regardless of task type. Given this tension, having metamotivational awareness of taskmotivation fit did not always lead to successful behavioral enactment (Studies 3-5). We discuss connections to metacognition and implications for the role of flexibility in self-regulation.

New Directions in Self-Regulation: The Role of Metamotivational Beliefs

“…E. MacGregor, Carnevale, Dusthimer, & Fujita, 2017; Miele & Scholer, 2016, 2018; Mischel & Mischel, 1983; Murayama, 2014; Murayama, Kitagami, Tanaka, & Raw, 2016; Nguyen, Carnevale, Scholer, Miele, & Fujita, 2018; Scholer & Miele, 2016; Thoman, Sansone, & Geerling, 2017; Wolters, 2003). Integrating insights from work in cognitive, developmental, educational, and social psychology, we conceptualize metamotivation as the processes by which individuals monitor and control their motivational states in order to achieve their goals (Miele & Scholer, 2018; Scholer & Miele, 2016). The “motivation” element of metamotivation reflects the key idea that motivation is the target of regulation.…”

From prevention focus to adaptivity and creativity: the role of unfulfilled goals and work engagement

“…Such threats motivate and activate individuals in a prevention focus (Baas et al, 2011;Carver, 2004;Van-Dijk & Kluger, 2004). This sometimes leads to increased, but inflexible, perseverance of current problem solving efforts (Carr & Steele, 2009;Carver, 2004), but it can also lead to the deployment of risky tactics in response to negativity (Scholer et al, 2010), and a stronger recognition that ways of dealing with the situation need to be altered (Scholer & Miele, 2016;Zaalberg, Midden, Meijnders, & McCalley, 2009). Unfulfilled daily goals signal insufficient goal progress, and represent a salient threat to people high in prevention focus.…”

“…Alternatively, they may infer that the regular way of doing things is insufficient for meeting their current goals and that the situation requires adaptivity, even if this goes against their natural behavioural tendencies (cf. Scholer & Miele, 2016). For the latter to happen, people high in prevention must see that adaptivity is, in fact, required.…”

Metacognitive Self and Motivation to Seek Diagnostic Information About the Self: A Longitudinal Study

“…However, the term "metacognition, " understood as cognition of own cognition, was introduced by developmental and cognitive psychologists in the last century (Flavell, 1979). More recently, metacognition research expanded in scope to fields, such as working memory and consciousness (Schraw and Dennison, 1994;Koriat, 2007), creativity (Scholer and Miele, 2016), judgment, decision-making, and persuasion (See et al, 2008), children's cognitive development (Flavell, 1979), problem solving and memory (Nelson and Narens, 1990), critical thinking processes, attitude change, and bias regulation (Brinol and DeMarree, 2012). The important finding emerging from this large body of research is that metacognition plays a crucial role in the process of human self-regulation (Baumeister and Vohs, 2004).…”