Control Deprivation Stimulates State Grit: The Mediating Effects Of Approach Motivation And The Moderating Effects Of Locus Of Control

The control deprivation has two kinds of effect on individuals,learned helplessness or more courage in dilemma.A literature proposed that brief experiences of control deprivation make people reassert control with more efforts,and prolonged experiences of control deprivation make people give up and cease seeking control.Thus the time length of the control deprivation matters.Prolonged experiences of control deprivation costs much energy which leads to negative consequence while brief experiences of control deprivation bring people with constructive power—state grit.Approach motivation facilitates goal-realization and might be the mechanism underlining the influence of control deprivation.The present study consisted of one pilot experiment and two formal experiments to investigate the moderating effect of the length of time on the effect of control deprivation on state grit? the approach motivation acted as the mediator between brief experiences of control deprivation and state grit,and use another experimental pattern of control deprivation study to investigate the locus of control acted as the mediator between brief experiences of control deprivation and state grit.Experiment 1 conducted a between-group design and manipulated the length of time(prolong vs.brief)and the sense of control(maintenance vs.deprivation),90 undergraduates were randomly organized into four groups.The state grit was measured by self-report scales(Grit-S)and continuous attention task(CCPT).The results of experiment 1 showed that the significant interaction effect on state grit between time-length and control types,especially on perseverance of effort factor,but not on consistency of interests factor.The simple effect test showed that the effect on perseverance of effort factor of the control deprivation group was significantly higher than that of the control maintenance group under the short-time condition.No significant difference between the two groups under the long-time condition was showed.But,in continuous attention task,control deprivation group was significantly lower than that of the control maintenance group under the long-time condition.The results of experiment 1 indicated that brief experiences of control deprivation created perseverance of effort,which built foundation for experiment 2 to select behavioral measures for perseverance of effort.Experiment 2 conducted a between-group design and manipulated the types of control(brief experiences of control deprivation vs.prolonged experiences of control deprivation)in order to deeply explore the function of high and low approach motivation,and 67 undergraduates were primed by the two categories.The state grit was measured by self-report scales(Grit-S)and a grip task(the performance of grip was calculated by the length of time: time of persistence-the base-lined time).The results showed that the high approach motivation acted as the mediator between brief experiences of control deprivation and state grit.Experiment 3 conducted a between-group design and manipulated the sense of control(maintenance vs.deprivation)and the locus of control(internal control vs.external control)in order to deeply explore the function of the locus of control,80 undergraduates were randomly organized into four groups.The state grit was measured by self-report scales(Grit-S)and labyrinth task.The results of experiment 3 showed that the significant interaction effect on state grit between control types and the locus of control,but only on the behavior index.The simple effect test showed that the effect on perseverance of effort factor of the control deprivation group was significantly higher than that of the control maintenance group under the internal control personality,no significant difference between the two groups under the external control personality was showed.The findings implicated that(1)brief experiences of control deprivation created a state grit,and especially on perseverance of effort,and cognitive behavior have been confirmed.(2)brief experiences of control deprivation created a state grit through the high approach motivation.(3)the high approach motivation acted as the moderator between brief experiences of control deprivation and state grit.