The Effects And Mechanism Of Promotion And Prevention Motivations On Self-control

Motivation is one of the important factors influencing self-control,and people could enhance self-control by motivational operation to attain their goals.Previous studies have found the important role of motivational strength on self-control,but fewer research concerned with the effect of motivational orientations,the other dimensionality of motivation,on self-control.Among the classification of motivational orientations,prevention and promotion motivations were proposed by Higgins who based on regulatory focus theory,which was regarded as the new direction of motivational theories.This research,which consisted five studies,would systematical explore the effects of prevention and promotion motivations onself-control.Study 1 mainly concerned with the relationship among promotion and prevention motivations,self-control outcomes and self-control experience from personality level.By tested 476 college students in chronic regulatory focus,trait self-control and subjective well-being,the results showed that:(1)both promotion and prevention motivations were positively correlated with trait self-control,as well as subjective well-being;(2)promotion dominanted people were higher in both trait self-control and subjective well-being than prevention dominanted people;(3)promotion dominanted people reported more subjective well-being than prevention dominanted people even control the effects of trait self-control as covariate variable.Therefore,in personality level,comparing to prevention motivation,promotion motivation was more benefit for enhancing performance and reducing negative affect.Study 2 mainly concerned with the effects of promotion and prevention motivations on the executing experience of self-control task from situational state.In this study,two groups of participants executed a control task in prevention framework(n = 34)or promotion framework(n = 32),respectively;and then they evaluated their task executing experience.The results showed that(1)although the two groups had no difference in task performance,participants in promotion framework reported more task pleasure than those in prevention framework;(2)there no interactive effect of chronic motivational orientations and situational motivational orientations on task performance and task pleasure.In conclusion,people could improve task pleasure from changing their induced motivational orientation.Study 3 mainly checked the effects in a complex control task,in which the self-control resource was relatively unsufficient.This was a within group design,and 42 participances randomly conducted the task in the framework of promotion,prevention or no motivational orientation manipulation(the control group).The results found that(1)paricipiants in promotion and prenvetion framework reported the same motivational strengthen and effort input,which were both stronger than that in control group;(2)they performed much better in promotion framework than in prevention framework which had no difference in the control group.Therefore,in complex control task,people activated by promotion motivation had higher executing efficiency in self-control than those activated by prevention motivation.Study 4 were conducted to contrast the ego-depletion in promotion and prevention motivations for further disclosing effects of the two motivational orientations on executing efficiency on self-control.It was a between subjects design,and participants conducted the control task of study 3 in three framework and then went on a following control task without motivation manipulation.The results found that except better performance,participants in promotion framework also had less ego depletion than those in prevention framework.therefore,people driven by promotion motivation had higher executing proficiency in self-control than those by prevention motivation.Study 5 mainly contrasted the electrophysiological difference when executed self-control in promotion and prevention motivations.Specifically,study 5a adopted cognitive inhibition task,while study 5b utilized behavior inhibition task.The results consistently confirmed that people in promotion motivation had smaller N2 amplitude component but larger P3 amplitude component.These resluts indicated that the increased prevention motivation added resource on monitor,while the increased promotion motivation added resource on execute control.All in all,comparing with people activated by prevention motivation,people activated by promotion motivation for executing self-control,had more positive mental experienceand more executing efficiency for cognitive resource.Additional,motivational orientations would changed the divition of cognitive resource,by the increased prevention motivation added resource input on conflict indentity,and the creased promotion motivation added resource input on conflict resovalution.As the differences in control resource allocation,comparing to promotion motivation,prevention motivation lead to a stronger psychological conflict and more negative experience,which the further lower the executing efficieny of self-control.