On Evaluative Readiness for Goal Pursuit: Testing Theoretical and Practical Questions of Breadth, Mechanism, and Causal Impact on Behavior

关于目标追求的评估准备：测试广度、机制和对行为的因果影响的理论和实践问题

• 批准号: 0847849
• 负责人: Melissa Ferguson
• 金额: $ 7.5万
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-04-01 至 2012-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0847849&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Evaluative; Readiness; Goal; Pursuit; Testing

One of the oldest mysteries of human behavior concerns when and why people are able to stick successfully to their most important goals. For example, what distinguishes the person who is able to give up smoking, or refrain from overeating, or stay in school from someone is unable to do so? This research project, which includes 3 experiments, focuses specifically on the role of non-conscious mental processes in successful self-control behavior. The first experiment examines when a goal (e.g., staying healthy and thin) might increase people's negative evaluations of activities or behaviors that would compromise the goal (e.g., fatty and unhealthy foods). The second experiment focuses on how a goal leads to such changes in people's evaluations of stimuli that might influence the pursuit of the goal. The third experiment examines whether it is possible to experimentally alter people's non-conscious mental processes in order to improve their ability to stick to the goals they identify as most important to them. A fundamental strength of this proposal is that it examines the role of non-conscious mental processes in successful self-control. By addressing key questions about how and when goals change people's evaluations of the stimuli around them, this work has the potential to significantly transform the field's understanding of effective self-control. In addition, findings from this research are likely to inform the development of new interventions and therapies for improving people's self-control.

人类行为的最古老的奥秘之一是人们何时以及为什么能够成功地坚持其最重要的目标。 例如，有什么区别能够戒烟，避免暴饮暴食的人，或者从某人呆在学校里无法这样做？ 该研究项目包括3个实验，特别关注非意识心理过程在成功的自我控制行为中的作用。 第一个实验检查目标（例如，保持健康和瘦弱）何时可能会增加人们对会损害目标的活动或行为的负面评估（例如，脂肪和不健康的食物）。 第二个实验的重点是目标如何导致人们对刺激的评估的这种变化，从而可能影响追求目标的追求。 第三个实验检查了是否可以实验改变人们的非意识心理过程，以提高他们坚持对他们最重要的目标的能力。 该提议的基本优势是它研究了非意识心理过程在成功的自我控制中的作用。 通过解决有关目标如何以及何时改变人们对周围刺激的评估的关键问题，这项工作有可能显着改变该领域对有效自我控制的理解。 此外，这项研究的发现可能会为改善人们自我控制的新干预措施和疗法的发展提供信息。