Mental Contrasting Establishes Associations between the Reality and Means to Overcome it Henrik...
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Mental Contrasting Establishes Associations between the Reality and Means to Overcome it Henrik Singmann 1 , Andreas Kappes 1 & Gabriele Oettingen 1,2 1 University of Hamburg, 2 New York University The Present Research • We predicted that after mental contrasting, associations between the impeding reality and means to overcome it should be established in line with one’s expectations of success. To show that the elaboration of a concern in form of mentally contrasting the desired future with the impeding reality is needed for establishing reality-means associations, we also assessed reality-means associations for an unelaborated concern. • In order to test our hypotheses, we asked participants to name two current concerns (one interpersonal concern & one health concern). After that we manipulated the self-regulatory strategy of goal-setting for the interpersonal concern, but not for the health concern. Finally, we measured the reality-means associations for the interpersonal concern, the health concern, as well as the mere accessibility of the means and association between the interpersonal impeding reality and the health means to exclude alternative explanations. Poster presented at the 21th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science in San Francisco, CA, May 2009 1. Desired Future 2. Impeding reality 2. Desired Future 1. Impeding reality 1. Positive Experience 2. Negative Experience Mental Contrasting n = 33 Reverse Contrasting n = 33 Control Group n = 31 Participants elaborated in three experimental conditions: Methods (continued) We used a sequential priming paradigm with a lexical decision task to measure the reality-means associations. Results We found the predicted pattern of results in the mental contrasting condition for the interpersonal concern only: • Participants in the mental contrasting condition exhibited expectancy-dependent reality-means associations for the interpersonal concern (see figure on the right). • Participants in the mental contrasting condition did not exhibit expectancy- dependent reality-means associations for the health concern. • Participants in the control conditions did not show expectancy dependent reality-means Results (continued) References Oettingen, G., & Kappes, A. (2008). Mental contrasting of the future and reality to master negative feedback. In K. Markman, B. Klein & J. Suhr (Edss.) The Handbook of Imagination and Mental Simulation. Hove, GB: Psychology Press. Oettingen, G., Pak, H., & Schnetter, K. (2001). Self-regulation of goal-setting: Turning free fantasies about the future into binding goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 736-753. Summary As expected, mental contrasting participants with high expectations formed strong reality- means associations for their interpersonal concern, but not for their health concern. Mental contrasting participants with low expectations did not form reality-means associations. These findings indicate that mental contrasting prepares people to effectively deal with their obstacles on their way to realizing a desired future. Introduction • Research on self-regulation of goal-setting examines how people set themselves binding goals: by mentally contrasting a desired future with the impeding reality (i.e., mental contrasting): When expectations of success are high, mental contrasting leads to strong goal commitment; when expectations of success are low, mental contrasting leads to weak goal commitment (see Oettingen & Kappes, 2008, for an overview). • We tested whether mental contrasting instigates planning processes of how to overcome the impeding reality and thereby establishes associations between the impeding reality and means to overcome it (i.e., reality-means associations) • After mental contrasting in light of high expectations people see the impeding reality as on obstacle standing in the way of the desired future. Consequently, they should be inclined to spell out ways to overcome the reality and associations should be established that link the impeding reality with the means to overcome it. • In contrast, contrasting the impeding reality with the desired future (i.e., reverse contrasting) or elaborating something unrelated (i.e., control condition) should not lead to the perception of the impeding reality as an obstacle, hence people should not spell out ways to overcome it. Methods Participants: 97 University of Hamburg students Procedure: • Participants named their most important concern in the interpersonal domain and in the health domain. They were told that we would randomly pick one of the concern to write about, but we always took the critical concern (see below). • They were asked to name the following for each concern: - Expectations of success - Aspect associated with achieving the positive future - Aspect standing in the way of the future (i.e., impeding reality) - Behavior that helps to overcome the reality (i.e., means) • We manipulated the self-regulatory strategy for the interpersonal concern: → Participants elaborated the critical concern according to their experimental condition. • We did not manipulate the self-regulatory strategy for the health concern: → Participants did not elaborate the control concern any further. Times presented Prime Target Interpersonal Domain: Reality-Means Association 4 Impeding reality Means Health Domain: Reality-Means Association 4 Impeding reality Means Accessibility 4 Neutral word Interpersonal means 4 Neutral word Health means Control Association 4 Interpersonal reality Health means Regression lines depicting relation of expectations of success on the reaction times for the critical reality-means associations (i.e. for the interpersonal concern), controlled for mere accessibility of the means. • Mental contrasting: Participants elaborated about the named positive future at first, then they elaborated about the named impeding reality. • Reverse contrasting (control for content): Participants elaborated the exact same content as the mental contrasting condition, but in reversed order. • Control condition (control for order of affect): Participants elaborated a positive experience with one of their professors, followed by a negative experience with one of their professors. Lexical Decision Task (total of 96 trials) Lexical Decision Task: Critical Trials • The interaction of condition with expectation is significant, p = .04. • The partial-correlation for expectations with the reality-means association is higher (ps < .05) in the mental contrasting condition (β = .51, p < .01), than in the reversed contrasting condition (β = .16, p = .4) or in the control condition (β = -.17, p = .38).
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Transcript of Mental Contrasting Establishes Associations between the Reality and Means to Overcome it Henrik...
Mental Contrasting Establishes Associations between the Reality and Means to Overcome itHenrik Singmann1, Andreas Kappes1 & Gabriele Oettingen1,2
1 University of Hamburg, 2 New York University
The Present Research• We predicted that after mental contrasting, associations between the
impeding reality and means to overcome it should be established in line with one’s expectations of success. To show that the elaboration of a concern in form of mentally contrasting the desired future with the impeding reality is needed for establishing reality-means associations, we also assessed reality-means associations for an unelaborated concern.
• In order to test our hypotheses, we asked participants to name two current concerns (one interpersonal concern & one health concern). After that we manipulated the self-regulatory strategy of goal-setting for the interpersonal concern, but not for the health concern. Finally, we measured the reality-means associations for the interpersonal concern, the health concern, as well as the mere accessibility of the means and association between the interpersonal impeding reality and the health means to exclude alternative explanations.
• We hypothesized that mental contrasting would lead to expectancy-dependent reality-means associations for the interpersonal concern, but not for the health concern. No expectancy-dependent reality-means associations should be found in control conditions.
Poster presented at the 21th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science in San Francisco, CA, May 2009
1. Desired
Future2. Impeding reality
2. Desired Future
1. Impeding reality
1. Positive Experience
2. Negative Experience
Mental Contrastingn = 33
Reverse Contrastingn = 33
Control Groupn = 31
Participants elaborated in three experimental conditions:
Methods (continued)We used a sequential priming paradigm with a lexical decision task to measure the reality-means associations.
ResultsWe found the predicted pattern of results in the mental contrasting condition for the interpersonal concern only:
• Participants in the mental contrasting condition exhibited expectancy-dependent reality-means associations for the interpersonal concern (see figure on the right).
• Participants in the mental contrasting condition did not exhibit expectancy-dependent reality-means associations for the health concern.
• Participants in the control conditions did not show expectancy dependent reality-means associations for neither the interpersonal, nor the health concern.
Results (continued)
ReferencesOettingen, G., & Kappes, A. (2008). Mental contrasting of the future and reality to master
negative feedback. In K. Markman, B. Klein & J. Suhr (Edss.) The Handbook of Imagination and Mental Simulation. Hove, GB: Psychology Press.
Oettingen, G., Pak, H., & Schnetter, K. (2001). Self-regulation of goal-setting: Turning free fantasies about the future into binding goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 736-753.
SummaryAs expected, mental contrasting participants with high expectations formed strong reality-means associations for their interpersonal concern, but not for their health concern. Mental contrasting participants with low expectations did not form reality-means associations. These findings indicate that mental contrasting prepares people to effectively deal with their obstacles on their way to realizing a desired future.
Introduction• Research on self-regulation of goal-setting examines how people set
themselves binding goals: by mentally contrasting a desired future with the impeding reality (i.e., mental contrasting): When expectations of success are high, mental contrasting leads to strong goal commitment; when expectations of success are low, mental contrasting leads to weak goal commitment (see Oettingen & Kappes, 2008, for an overview).
• We tested whether mental contrasting instigates planning processes of how to overcome the impeding reality and thereby establishes associations between the impeding reality and means to overcome it (i.e., reality-means associations)
• After mental contrasting in light of high expectations people see the impeding reality as on obstacle standing in the way of the desired future. Consequently, they should be inclined to spell out ways to overcome the reality and associations should be established that link the impeding reality with the means to overcome it.
• In contrast, contrasting the impeding reality with the desired future (i.e., reverse contrasting) or elaborating something unrelated (i.e., control condition) should not lead to the perception of the impeding reality as an obstacle, hence people should not spell out ways to overcome it.
MethodsParticipants: 97 University of Hamburg students
Procedure:• Participants named their most important concern in the interpersonal
domain and in the health domain.They were told that we would randomly pick one of the concern to write about, but we always took the critical concern (see below).
• They were asked to name the following for each concern:- Expectations of success- Aspect associated with achieving the positive future- Aspect standing in the way of the future (i.e., impeding reality)- Behavior that helps to overcome the reality (i.e., means)
• We manipulated the self-regulatory strategy for the interpersonal concern:→ Participants elaborated the critical concern according to their experimental condition.
• We did not manipulate the self-regulatory strategy for the health concern:→ Participants did not elaborate the control concern any further.
Times presented Prime Target
Interpersonal Domain: Reality-Means Association
4 Impeding reality Means
Health Domain: Reality-Means Association
4 Impeding reality Means
Accessibility
4 Neutral word Interpersonal means
4 Neutral word Health means
Control Association
4 Interpersonal reality Health means
Regression lines depicting relation of expectations of success on the reaction times for the critical reality-means associations (i.e. for the interpersonal concern), controlled for mere accessibility of the means.
• Mental contrasting:Participants elaborated about the named positive future at first, then they elaborated about the named impeding reality.
• Reverse contrasting (control for content):Participants elaborated the exact same content as the mental contrasting condition, but in reversed order.
• Control condition (control for order of affect):Participants elaborated a positive experience with one of their professors, followed by a negative experience with one of their professors.
Lexical Decision Task (total of 96 trials)
Lexical Decision Task: Critical Trials
• The interaction of condition with expectation is significant, p = .04.• The partial-correlation for expectations with the reality-means
association is higher (ps < .05) in the mental contrasting condition (β = .51, p < .01), than in the reversed contrasting condition (β = .16, p = .4) or in the control condition (β = -.17, p = .38).
