| Goal disengagement frequently benefits motivational efficiency and psychological well-being and this is well documented in prior research, particularly in the case of unattainable goals (e.g., Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, Schulz, & Carver, 2003; Wrosch & Heckhausen, 1999). The phenomenon of goal disengagement is arguably one of the most basic and essential forms of self-regulatory behavior (Carver & Scheier, 1998), yet little attention has been given to mechanisms that may maximize motivational efficiency and the ease by which goal disengagement occurs to promote mental heath and maximize resources (by directing them to better-suited goals). Research investigating models of goal disengagement has been limited in scope and has focused largely on changes in expectancy and value of goals. However, feedback into these processes is often a slow and arduous process. Moreover, the motivational properties of goal disengagement are poorly understood. Five studies test the embodied goal-disengagement hypothesis, which states that the activation of a representation metaphorically related to physical experience representations can execute goal disengagement via processes analogous to the physical experience. These studies test the goal disengagement hypothesis in the context of cleansing experiences, which produce powerful effects that remove traces of the past (e.g., Lee & Schwarz, 2010b). Research hypotheses predicted that cleansing and cleansing-related experiences would "wipe away" primed goal constructs. Participants were exposed to goal primes (achievement or cooperation) and subsequently exposed to physical cleansing experiences (Experiments 1--3) or cleansing stimuli without physical cleansing (Experiments 4 and 5). Experiment 1 tested the influence of physical cleansing on achievement motivation (as measured by standardized test performance) following an achievement-goal prime. Results trended in the predicted direction, suggesting cleansing may possibly reduce or "wipe away" primed goal motivation. Experiment 2, which was designed as a theoretical replication of the first experiment, found no difference in participants' achievement on an anagram task between the physical cleansing and control groups. Testing a different student population than Experiment 1 and 2, Experiment 3 found no difference in achievement (on word-search puzzles) between participants exposed to an achievement-goal prime and those exposed to a no-goal prime who either cleansed with and evaluated a hand-sanitizing product or evaluated a pencil bag. Experiment 4 tested whether or not motivation to cooperate is influenced by cleansing concepts, which were presented after exposure to either a cooperation-goal prime or a no-goal prime. Experiment 5 used the same experimental design as Experiment 4, but tested the goal-cleansing hypothesis in the context of an achievement goal; neither experiment showed significant results. Whereas the goal primes in Experiments 1-4 employed scrambled sentence priming, the goal prime (no prime control) in Experiment 5 was administered via exposure to monocular linear perspective cues of forward (downward) movement (see Natanzon & Ferguson, 2011). Evidence does not support the prediction that goal-directed motivation (that was recently primed) is lower after exposure to a cleansing prime as compared to a non-cleansing-related prime. Surprisingly, no statistically significant interaction effects were found across the abovementioned studies. Implications of these findings are discussed in light of recent controversy about the stability of priming effects and their potential moderating factors. Experiment 6 investigated whether or not the properties of goal disengagement might be motivationally similar to goal completion, which typically shows inhibitory properties, by manipulating goal expectancies; results were nonsignificant. This dissertation proposes further investigation of the embodied goal-disengagement hypothesis, the motivational effects of embodied experiences, the motivational properties underlying goal disengagement, and the short- and long-term consequences of goal-disengagement dynamics in order to develop a more complete model of goal disengagement. Finally, Experiment 7 (see Appendix A) begins to investigate goal prioritization, or the management of multiple goals, which is highly relevant to goal-disengagement models. In sum, this body of work brings to light some potential pitfalls and methodological challenges in testing goal-disengagement models and suggests developing methodological strategies (that can account for moderators of goal priming that are being discovered) that can improve the ways in which motivational research on goal disengagement and goal pursuit are investigated. |
