Metamotivational knowledge of the role of high-level and low-level construal in goal-relevant task performance.

Abstract

Metamotivation research suggests that people may be able to modulate their motivational states strategically to secure desired outcomes (Scholer & Miele, 2016). To regulate one’s motivational states effectively, one must at minimum understand (a) which states are more or less beneficial for a given task and (b) how to instantiate these states. In the current article, we examine to what extent people understand the self-regulatory benefits of high-level versus low-level construal (i.e., motivational orientations toward abstract and essential vs. concrete and idiosyncratic features). Seven experiments revealed that participants can distinguish tasks that entail high-level versus low-level construal. Further, participants recognized the usefulness of preparatory exercises with which to instantiate high-level versus low-level construal for task performance, and this knowledge predicted behavioral choices. This research highlights novel insights that the metamotivational approach offers to research on construal level theory and, more broadly, to the study of self-regulation.

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

“…Overall, people do indeed correctly recognize that high- versus low-level construal promotes self-control (Fujita, Scholer, Miele, & Nguyen, 2018; K. E. MacGregor et al, 2017; Nguyen et al, 2018). For instance, participants indicate that tactics known to induce high- versus low-level construal (e.g., using abstract vs. concrete language, focusing on “why” vs. “how,” or generating categories vs. exemplars) will enhance self-control.…”

“…Research on construal level theory has revealed that individuals are more likely to successfully resolve these kinds of conflicts when engaged in high-level relative to low levelconstrual (i.e., when tuned to the abstract and essential rather than concrete idiosyncratic features of events; Fujita, Trope, Liberman, & Levin-Sagi, 2006). Overall, people do indeed correctly recognize that high-level versus low-level construal promote self-control Nguyen et al, 2018). For instance, participants METAMOTIVATION 8 indicate that tactics known to induce high-level vs. low-level construal (e.g., using abstract versus concrete language, focusing on "why" versus "how," or generating categories versus exemplars) will enhance self-control.…”

“…Specifically, we argue that a more complete understanding of when-and why-people succeed or fail at self-regulation involves the study of metamotivation, a developing frontier of motivation science research (Ayduk & Kross, 2010;Kim, Brady, & Wolters, 2018;D. MacGregor, 1960;Mischel & Mischel, 1983;Murayama, 2014;Nguyen, Carnevale, Scholer, Miele, & Fujita, 2018;Thoman, Sansone, & Geerling, 2017;. Integrating insights from work in cognitive, METAMOTIVATION 4 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 .…”

“…Some aspects of one's metamotivational knowledge may be tacit or implicit (e.g., Reber, 1989;Wagner & Sternberg, 1985). In such cases, metamotivational knowledge can be assessed by presenting participants with scenarios describing different motivational challenges and asking them to indicate which types of responses feel right or would lead to optimal performance (K. E. Nguyen et al, 2018;. Participants with accurate knowledge tend to endorse the most appropriate response when presented with different scenarios, even if they are not aware that they possess this knowledge or cannot articulate it spontaneously.…”

“…MacGregor, 1960; K. 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).…”