The influence of social groups on goal contagion

Loersch, Chris; Aarts, Henk; Payne, B. Keith; Jefferis, Valerie E.

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2008.07.009

Cited by 76 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…That is, although our results are consistent with a goal priming effect (Loersch et al, 2008), they could also be caused by the direct influence of a prime on behavior (Bargh, Chen, & Burrows, 1996;Loersch & Payne, 2012), or the indirect influence of primes on behavior through shifts in self-perceptions (DeMarree, Wheeler, & Petty, 2005), situational perceptions (Kay & Ross, 2003), or perceptions of participants' ostensible interaction partner (Smeesters, Wheeler, & Kay, 2009; for reviews, see Loersch & Payne, 2011;Smeesters, Wheeler, & Kay, 2010;Wheeler & DeMarree, 2009). …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

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From Primed Construct to Motivated Behavior

DeMarree

Loersch

Briñol

et al. 2012

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

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Esta es la versión de autor del artículo publicado en: This is an author produced version of a paper published in: El acceso a la versión del editor puede requerir la suscripción del recurso Access to the published version may require subscription Past research has found that environmental primes can automatically initiate unconscious goal striving. Recent models of priming have suggested that this effect might be moderated by validation processes. According to a goal validation perspective, primes should cause changes in one's motivational state to the extent people have confidence in the prime-related mental content.Across three experiments we provided the first direct empirical evidence for this goal validation account. Using a variety of goal priming manipulations (cooperation versus competition, achievement, and self-improvement versus saving money) and validity inductions (power, ease, and writing about confidence), we demonstrated that the impact of goal primes on behavior occurs to a greater extent when conditions foster confidence (versus doubt) in mental contents.Indeed, when conditions foster doubt, goal priming effects are eliminated or counter to the implications of the prime. The implications of these findings for research on goal priming and validation processes are discussed.Key words: goal pursuit, automaticity, metacognition, validation GOAL VALIDATION 3 From primed construct to motivated behavior: Validation processes in goal pursuitThe study of self-regulation and goal pursuit is a fundamental topic in psychology (Vohs & Baumeister, 2011) with widespread implications for human thought and behavior. At a cognitive level, goals are abstract structures in memory that can become accessible through contextual cues and guide behavior toward the attainment of desired end states (Fishbach & Ferguson, 2007). Although historically thought to be relatively deliberative in nature (e.g., Carver & Scheier, 1998;Locke & Latham, 1990), contemporary research indicates that goals can be both activated and pursued outside of conscious awareness. For example, Chartrand and Bargh (1996) demonstrated simple priming manipulations, such as those previously used to activate traits or stereotypes (e.g., Srull & Wyer, 1979), can also produce complex, motivated behavior. These priming manipulations have produced motivated behavior for goals as diverse as achievement (Bargh, Gollwitzer, Lee-Chai, Barndollar, & Trötschel, 2001), seeking casual sex (Aarts, Gollwitzer, & Hassin, 2004), forming impressions of others (Chartrand & Bargh, 1996), dieting (Fishbach, Friedman, & Kruglanski, 2003), and knowledge seeking (Riketta & Dauenheimer, 2003).Once activated, primed goals operate in the same manner as consciously selected ones.That is, goal priming produces all of the hallmarks of conscious goal pursuit including increases in goal strength over time, persistence in the face of obstacles, and resumption after interruption (Bargh et al., 2001; see also, Förster, Liberman, & Friedman, 2007). In addition, success and failure at n...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

“…In addition, success and failure at nonconscious goals produces emotional responses parallel to those experienced with success and failure at conscious goals (Chartrand, Cheng, Dalton, & Tesser, 2010;Loersch, Aarts, Payne, & Jefferis, 2008;Riketta & Dauenheimer, 2003).…”

Section: Goal Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Primed Construct to Motivated Behavior

DeMarree

Loersch

Briñol

et al. 2012

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

Self Cite

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“…To the degree that what another person is trying to do parallels your own goals, it may be easier to vicariously pursue their goals (Loersch, Aarts, Payne, & Jefferis, 2008). Vicarious goal pursuit should entail the same considerations of tradeoffs and opportunity costs: to the degree that you can more readily adopt the goals of people who are similar to you, you may also be more susceptible to their displays of fatigue (Ackerman et al, 2009) and satiation (McCulloch et al, 2011).…”

Section: The Target's Goalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ends of empathy: Constructing empathy from value-based choice

Cameron¹,

Cunningham²,

Saunders³

et al. 2017

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Empathy, or the ability to understand and resonate with the experiences of others, has long been considered by philosophers and scientists to be an important part of human morality. We present a new framework that explains empathy as resulting from motivated decisions. Drawing on models of cybernetic control, value-based choice, and constructionism, we suggest that empathy shifts depending on how people value and prioritize conflicting goals. We generate novel predictions about the nature of empathy from the science of goal pursuit, and address its apparent limitations. Empathy appears less sensitive to suffering of large numbers and out-groups, leading some to suggest that empathy is an unreliable ethical guide. Whereas these arguments assume that empathy is a limited-capacity resource, we suggest that apparent limits of empathy reflect byproducts of domain-general goal pursuit. Arguments against empathy reflect a misguided essentialism: they mistake our own choices to avoid empathy for intrinsic features of empathy, treating empathy as a capricious emotion in conflict with reason. We suggest that empathy results from a rational decision, even if its rationality is bounded, as in many decisions in everyday life. Empathy may only be limited if we choose to avoid pursuing empathic goals.Ends of empathy 3 "Empathy isn't just something that happens to us-a meteor shower of synapses firing across the brain-it's also a choice we make: to pay attention, to extend ourselves. It's made of exertion, the dowdier cousin of impulse." -Leslie Jamison (2014), The Empathy ExamsIn the summer of 2016, empathy went viral. The world learned about Harambe, a silverback gorilla in the Cincinnati Zoo who was shot and killed by zookeepers in an attempt to save the life of a child who had fallen into his enclosure. In the aftermath of the incident, people around the world expressed support for Harambe in a variety of ways, ranging from social media posts to charitable donations to Harambe tattoos. Empathy for Harambe became a meme in its own right. On the other hand, many people appeared to lack empathy for the zookeepers, the child, and the child's mother, to the point that some even issued death threats. This example reveals a broader point about empathy (and the lack thereof): it can feel effortless, contagious, a passion to which we are subject, rather than something we choose or control.Empathy-our ability to understand and resonate with the experiences of others-is typically considered an emotion, which can entail the conceptual baggage that many people associate with emotion. People often see emotions as passions that are out of our control, as something that happen to us. This idea has much precedent. The term derives from the Greek empatheia, which takes feeling or passion (pathos) and directs it at or into (em) someone else;this was adapted to the German Einfühlung ("feeling into"), and translated into English as empathy (Wispe, 1987). These traditions emphasize continuity of empathy with emotions, and in so doing, ca...

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“…Because being friendly to females could increase the likelihood of intimate relationships, Aarts and colleagues interpreted their male participant's increased willingness to help as a mean for attaining the automatically inferred goal of having casual sex. Several follow-up studies Aarts, Dijksterhuis, & De Vries, 2001;Dik & Aarts, 2007Loersch et al, 2008, Jia et al 2014, Contagion of Prosocial Behavior 5 Wessler and Hansen, 2017; see also Corcoran, Brohmer & Eckerstorfer, 2018) could validate the goal contagion hypothesis in the context of very distinct goals like academic achievements, earning money or quenching one's thirst. However, little of this research addresses prosocial behavior as goal to be elicited in observers.…”

Section: Contagion Of Prosocial Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

PREPRINT Inspired to lend a hand? Attempts to elicit prosocial behavior through goal contagion

Brohmer¹,

Corcoran²,

Kedia³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Helping often occurs in a broader social context. Every day, people observe others who require help, but also others who provide help. Research on goal contagion (Aarts, Gollwitzer & Hassin, 2004) suggests that observing other people's goal-directed behavior (like helping) activates the same goal in the observer. Thus, merely observing a prosocial act could inspire people to act on the same goal. This effect should be even stronger, the more the observer's disposition makes him or her value the goal. In the case of prosocial goals, we looked at the observer's Social Value Orientation (SVO; van Lange et al., 1999) as a moderator of the process. In three studies (N = 126, N = 162 and N = 371), we tested the hypothesis that prosocial observations (vs. control) will trigger more subsequent prosocial behavior the more the observer is prosocially oriented. In line with the original research, we used texts as stimulus material in Study 1 and short video clips in Study 2 and 3. In Study 1 and 2, SVO was measured directly before the manipulation was induced and in Study 3 even a week prior to the actual experiment. Additionally, we included a second control condition video clip in Study 3, which did not depict human beings. Despite thoroughly developed stimulus material and methods, we found no support for an effect of the interaction, nor of the prosocial observation, but some support of SVO in Study 1 and 2. A mini meta-analysis revealed an effect equivalent to zero for goal contagion and a small, but robust SVO effect across studies.One implication for the theory of goal contagion is that prosocial goals might not be as contagious as other goals addressed in the literature. However, because SVO might not have been an optimal trait, other moderators for prosocial dispositions should be tested.

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The influence of social groups on goal contagion

Cited by 76 publications

References 23 publications

From Primed Construct to Motivated Behavior

From Primed Construct to Motivated Behavior

The ends of empathy: Constructing empathy from value-based choice

PREPRINT Inspired to lend a hand? Attempts to elicit prosocial behavior through goal contagion

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