Promotion and prevention

Theory of Tory Higgins

Lecture 5

Approach vs. avoidance

• Approach – towards positive goals• Avoidance – away from negative goals

• Different types of positive goals

Goals and evaluation

• Minimal goals• Maximal goals

Minimal and maximal goals and evaluation of outcome

Minimal goal

Negative Non-negative

Non-positive Positive

Maximal goal

Promotion and prevention – theory of Tory Higgins

• Two regulatory modes: – Through positive states – promotion mode (promotion

focus)– Through negative states – prevention mode (prevention

focus)

Discrepancies within the „self” (Tory Higgins)

• Ideal self – whom I would like to be• Ought self – whom I should be• Reflected self – who the others would like me to

be• Real self – who I am

Ideal vs. ought self

• Who I want to be (my hope, aspirations) vs. who I ought to be (norms, moral principles)

• „I want” vs. „I have to”• Id vs. superego• My own goals (internalized) vs. goals

imposed by society

Ideals vs. oughts

• Ideals – maximal goals– Goal-consistency – positive outcome– Goal-inconsistency – non-positive outcome

• Oughts – minimal goals– Goal-consistency – non-negative result– Goal-inconsistency – negative result

Minimal and maximal goals and evaluation of outcome

Minimal goal

Negative Non-negative

Non-positive Positive

Maximal goal

Promotion and prevention – theory of Tory Higgins

• Two regulatory modes: – Focus on ideals Maximizing positive states

promotion focus– Focus on oughts Minimizing negative states

prevention focus

Promotion vs. prevention

• Differences in upbringing• Differences in experienced emotions• Differences in risk behavior

Promotion focus

Promotionfocus

Nurturance needs

Strong ideals

Gain/non-gain situations

Sensitivity to presence or absence of positive outcomes

Approach as strategy

Insure hits and insure againstErrors of omission

Cheerfulness/dejection emotions

Prevention focus

Preventionfocus

Security needs

Strong oughts

Non-loss/losssituations

Sensitivity to absence or presence of negative outcomes

Avoidance as strategy

Insure correct rejections and Insure against errors of commission

Queiscence/agitationemotions

Promotion vs. Prevention and risk-seeking

• Promotion minimizing false negatives risk seeking

• Prevention minimizing false positives risk aversion

Categorization decisions

Outcome

AlternativeOutcome

predictor H Alternative predictor non-H

aHits

bFalse positives

cFalse negatives

dCorrect

rejections

Passed the test Failed / did not take the test

fit misfitfitmisfit

Hit False positive

False negative

Correct rejection

Prevention minimizes this Promotion minimizes this

Risk behavior and categorization decisions

• minimizing false positives risk aversion• minimizing false negatives risk seeking

Promotion vs. Prevention and emotions

• Regulatory modes and the emotional circumplex of Russell and Mehrabian

• Telic vs. Paratelic motivation

Promotion vs. prevention and categorization processes - summary

• Don’t accept the undesirable

• Minimize false alarms• Negativity effect• Risk-avoidance• Preservation of status quo

(security, conservation)

• Don’t reject the desirable• Minimize misses• Positivity effect• Risk-seeking• Change of status quo

(development, optimization)

Summary of the two regulatory modes

Promotion PreventionIdeals Oughts

Ensures development Ensures security

Emotions: from boredom to excitement to sadness and disappointment

Emotions: from tension to relaxation

Risk seeking strategies: maximization of „hits”

Risk averse strategies: maximization of „correct rejections”

„Eager” strategies – focus on positives „Vigilant” strategies – focus on negatives

Positivity effect? Negativity effect?

Other correlates

Promotion Prevention

Speed preferred to accuracy Accuracy preferred to speed

Additive counterfactuals (If I did X…) Subtractive counterfactuals (If I haven’t done X…)

Omission error – sense of guilt for not doing something

Commission error – sense of guilt for having done something

In categorization tasks more categorization criteria

In categorization tasks generowaniefewer categorization criteria

Openess to change, e.g. the present course of action

Lack of openess to change, less frequent changes of course of action

Promotion – prevention as trait and state

• Dispositional trait - chronic regulatory focus• Situationally evoked mode – focus on promotion

vs. prevention

Promotion/prevention as disposition – measurement methods

• Self-guide Strength Measure – based on reaction time to ideals- and oughts- associated contents

• Regulatory Focus Questionnaire 11 items, scale 1-5 (exemplary items)– Compared to most people are you typicaly unable to get what you want

out of life? (promotion- reversed)– Not being careful enough has gotten me into trouble at time (prevention

reversed)– I feel like I have made progress toward being successful in my life

(promotion)– Did you get on your parents’ nerves often when you were growing up

(prevention reversed)

Prmotion vs. prevention as state

• Priming of oughts vs. ideals”• Focus on positives (eager strategy) vs. elimination

of negatives (vigilant strategy)– Presentation of a task as gain vs. loss prevention

• You get $3 – during the task you can receive more (promotion) vs. you get $6 – during the task you can lose part of the sum (prevention)

– Instruction: how much you would have gained if you chose X (promotion) vs. how much you would have lost if you have not chosen X (prevention)

– Find useful elements (promotion) vs. eliminate harmful elements (prevention)

Consequences of „regulatory fit”

DispositionalSituational

Promotion Prevention

Promotion Faster reaction timeHigher evaluation of an object chosen in the decision process

Slower reaction timeLower evalutaion of the chosen alternative

Prevention Slower reaction timeLower evalutaion of the chosen alternative

Faster reaction timeHigher evaluation of an object chosen in the decision process

Promowanie-zapobieganie a inne teorie

Kołowa teoria emocji (‘emotional circumplex’)

Dwa wymiary emocji:

•Znak (przyjemny – przykry)

•Pobudzenie (wysokie – niskie pobudzenie)

James A. Russell (University of British Columbia)

hectic excitingalive

exhiliratinginteresting

arousing

stimulating sensational

pleasing

pretty beautiful

pleasantnice

serene

restfulpeacefulcalm

tranquil

rushed

intense

frenzied

panicky

tenseforceful

uncomfortable

dissatisfying

displeasing

repulsive

unpleasant

unstimulating

dulldreary

boring

inactive

idle

monotoneous

active

lazy slow

drowsy

High arousal

Low arousal

negative

positive

After: Russell, Lanius, 1984

Emotional circumplex

Emotional circumplex and promotion-prevention

High arousal

Excitement

Pleasant

Relaxation

Low arousal

Boredom

Unpleasant

Anxiety PREVENTION

PROMOTION

Promotion – prevention and telic vs. paratelic motivation

Theory of Michael Apter

Telic vs. paratelic motivationactivity

goal

goal

activity

Telic motivation

Paratelic motivation

Donald O. Hebb

Michael J. Apter

vs

Telic vs. paratelic motivation

• TELIC– Initiated by unpleasant

arousal (anxiety)– Ultimate goal – relaxation– High arousal – unpleasant– Low arousal – pleasant– Motivation: avoiding overly

stimulating environments

• PARATELIC– Initiated by low arousal

(boredom)– Ultimate goal – excitement– High arousal – pleasant– Low arousal– unpleasant– Motivation: looking for

stimulating environments

Emotional circumplex and telic-paratelic motivation

High arousal

Excitement

Pleasant

Relaxation

Low arousal

Boredom

Unpleasant

AnxietyTELIC

PARATELIC

Is the dichotomy of promotion v. prevention related to other dichotomies?

Promotion-prevention and temporal perspective

Mental construal theory by Yaacov Trope and Nira Liberman

• Psychological distance– Temporal: close vs. distant events– Spatial: close vs. distant situations and

objects– Social: us vs. them– Psychological: real vs. hypothetical

Yaacov Trope

Nira Liberman

Representation of objects and events depends on psychological distance

• The more distant (temporal, spatial, psychological) the more:– Abstract– Polarized – unambiguously positive or negative– Homogeneous– Future behaviors categorized on higher identification

level than present behaviors– (what are you doing? vs. what will you be doing?)

• Works both ways:– Perspective categoryzation– Categorization perspective

Promotion-prevention and mental construal

• Promotion more psychological distance• Prevention less psychological distance

Summary: „either – or” vs. necessary balance?

• Consquences of prevention only?• Consequences of promotion only?