Modelling goal adjustment in social relationships: Two experimental studies with children and adults

Abstract

In two experiments, we investigated observational learning in social relationships as one possible pathway to the development of goal adjustment processes. In the first experiment, 56 children (M = 9.29 years) observed their parent as a model; in the second, 50 adults (M = 32.27 years) observed their romantic partner. Subjects were randomly assigned to three groups: goal engagement (GE), goal disengagement (GD), or control group (CO) and were asked to solve (unsolvable) puzzles. Before trying to solve the puzzles by themselves, subjects observed the instructed model, who was told to continue with the same puzzle (GE) or to switch to the next puzzle (GD). Results show that children in the GE group switched significantly less than in the GD or CO group. There was no difference between the GD group and CO group. Adults in the GE group switched significantly less than in the GD or CO group, whereas subjects in the GD group switched significantly more often than the CO group. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Previous research focused mainly on the functions of goal adjustment processes. It rarely considered processes and conditions that contribute to the development of goal engagement and goal disengagement. There are only two cross-sectional studies that directly investigate this topic. Previous research that claims observational learning as a pathway of learning emotion regulation or adjustment processes has (only) relied on correlational methods and, thus, do not allow any causal interpretations. Previous research, albeit claiming a life span focus, mostly investigated goal adjustment processes in one specific age group (mainly adults). There is no study that investigates the same processes in different age groups. What does this study add? In our two studies, we focus on the conditions of goal adjustment processes and sought to demonstrate one potential pathway of learning or changing the application of goal adjustment processes, namely observational learning. We employed an experimental design to study observational learning, instead of using a correlational design. The present studies are the first to apply an experimental design to investigate observational learning of adjustment processes. In our studies, we implemented the same design and studied the same process in different age groups. Thus, they expand knowledge beyond a particular age group and under a life span perspective.

Imitation of Goal Engagement and Disengagement Processes in Romantic Relationships

“…In contrast, observers more often disengaged in both tasks if they had observed their partner doing so. These results replicate previous findings (Thomsen et al, ) and extend them in showing that modelling effects of goal regulation processes in romantic relationships transfer to other tasks at least in the short term, emphasizing that generalization occurred and goal regulation processes were applied in a similar situation. We do not necessarily assume that these effects hold for a longer time upon a one‐time experience, and we certainly do not claim that observational learning is the only pathway to change dispositional goal regulation processes in adulthood.…”

“…Study 1 replicated the findings of Thomsen et al (). Partners observed their partners' goal regulation processes and applied them in the same task when being confronted with difficulties in goal pursuit.…”

“…First, we employed only one type of modelling task. Although Thomsen et al () found similar imitation effects in a child sample with a different modelling task, future studies could use a different task to allow generalizations of the effect.…”

“…However, we took care to sample from a comparable population, which is evident in the same recruitment strategy and similar sample characteristics of the studies. Moreover, means in the modelling task's switching frequency of the experimental groups in Thomsen et al (2017) and Study 1 were comparable.…”

“…The validation study showed a positive correlation between an uninstructed partner's goal regulation and the observing partner's own behaviour in the same task, r (28) = .53, p = .002. This strong positive correlation suggests that the instruction of the model cannot account for the modelling effects in the paradigm of Thomsen et al (). Moreover, we obtained a correlation between the model's task switches and self‐reported goal regulation processes [engagement processes: r (26) = −.51, p = .006; disengagement processes: r (26) = .57. p = .002].…”