Learning Objectives Chapter 4 Choices and Actions The Self in Control Define self regulation o Self regulation capacity to alter its own responses self control Know the 3 major components of self regulation o Standards ideas of how things could be o Monitoring keeping track of behaviors or responses Test Operate Test Exit TOTE The first test is a comparison of self against the standard If not satisfied move to the operate stage when you exert conscious control to change self Test again If not satisfied operate again but if satisfied then you have met the standard and can exit o Capacity for change Refers to the operate phase Willpower Willpower is like a muscle depleted after it is used and stronger with exercise Misconceptions about self control o 1 Impulses are irresistible NO Restraints are weak o 2 Control is bad No Control is good o Self Regulation predicts Good relationships Success more so than IQ Less criminality Better mental health Know some of the outcomes that are associated with self regulation Know some outcomes that are associated with self regulation failure o Self regulation failure is extremely common Eating behavior Drug and alcohol consumption Sexually transmitted diseases Domestic abuse o Only one known area where too much self control is bad Anorexia Not eating requires strong self control Not eating cannot be automatized Differentiate the two types of self regulation failure 1 Misregulation Regulating in the wrong domains 1 1 Misunderstandings or miscalculations 2 Underregulation Not regulating enough Loss of attention Lack of self regulatory strength Explain the limited resource model of self regulation o All types of control rely on ONE limited energy source Behavior control Thought control Emotion control Impulse control o Initial acts of self regulation deplete one s resources o True of anything that requires close guidance by the self o Implications for pursuing multiple goals that require lots of self regulation E g Dieting and quitting smoking at the same time o Alcohol contributes to losing control Affects self regulatory system 1 Lowers cognitive functioning 2 Lowers inhibitory system o decreased self awareness 3 Depletes blood glucose levels Describe and differentiate 4 different types of self control behavior Know what biological resource is being depleted when engaging in self thought emotion impulse o Behavior control o Thought control o Emotion control o Impulse control regulation o Glucose Identify ways to improve your self regulation 1 Change situation to require less energy 2 Strive for delayed gratification 3 Avoid alcohol when you want to regulate 4 Make behavior automatic Know two ways in which people can achieve their goals o Goal setting o Goal pursuit Set specific and reachable goals Goal dominates information processing 2 2 Planning what to do and carrying out those behaviors Resuming a goal after it has been interrupted E g going back to study after watching a television show Define Zeigarnik Effect o Interrupted goals o Unconscious reminder o Zeigarnik Effect A tendency to experience automatic intrusive thoughts about a goal whose pursuit has been interrupted When you are going something other than your goal you are constantly thinking about completing the goal It is the unconscious mind nagging the conscious mind to make a plan States that people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks Define goal shielding better than completed ones o What if you have multiple goals at the same time o Goal Shielding Once a person begins to work toward one goal the mind automatically shuts other goals way from consciousness One may consider finding someone to marry more important than math homework but if they spend all of their time and energy on their love life then they won t get their homework done o Certain situations prime people to think of particular goals o Planning fallacy the tendency for plant to be over optimistic because the planner fails to allow for unexpected problems Sydney Opera House took WAY longer than expected o The belief that one s own project will proceed as planned even while knowing that the vast majority of similar projects have run late Always thinking it ll take one day to get a good grade in anatomy Define the planning fallacy Be able to define the what the heck effect even though that never works o Goal failure o Two groups of Ps Dieter or not o Three conditions 1 Eat nothing hungry 2 Milkshake full 3 2 Milkshakes stuffed o DV Taste test w ice cream or cookies 3 3 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Non Dieters Dieters Hungry Full Stuffed o The Dieters are exerting control to restrict their behavior o Breaking from the diet once reduces self efficacy to persist at the diet o Additionally breaking from the diet reinstates conscious awareness of the regulation o Best way to diet portion control instead of restricting certain foods List and or identify the 4 influences that guide people s choices risk aversion temporal discounting certainty effect keeping options open o Two steps of choosing Narrowing down a full range of choice to a limited few Careful consideration of the remaining choices o Influences on Choice Risk aversion gains People are more affected by possible losses than possible Temporal discounting Flip a coin 50 50 chance of losing or winning 10 o People were afraid thinking their chance of losing 10 was much higher even though it was equal What happens right now weighs more heavily than what might happen in the future 1000 now instead of waiting and getting 1 200 in two weeks Certainty effect Keeping Options Open Tendency to place too much emphasis on definite outcomes Some people prefer to postpone hard decisions and keep their options open for as long as possible This is why coupons and deals often expire quickly Know the 3 main reasons why people don t choose status quo bias omission bias reactance o Status Quo Bias changing o Omission Bias Simple preference to keep things the way they are instead of Taking whatever course of action that does not require you to do anything aka default option Don t choose because they do not want to have to choose anything 4 4 Check box if you do not want to receive emails o Reactance The idea that people are distressed by loss of freedom or options and seek to reclaim or reassert them Studies you should know Mischel Baker 1975 o Gave 4 yr olds marshmallows o Delay of gratification o Self control unlimited mallows o Self control failure only 1 Gailliot et al 2007 o What causes
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