DOCSLIB.ORG

Effects of Cognitive Distancing on Intrusive Thought Responses

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Effects of Cognitive Distancing on Intrusive Thought Responses ABSTRACT LOOKING OUTSIDE OF SELF AND EXPERIENCE: EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE DISTANCING ON INTRUSIVE THOUGHT RESPONSES by Sarah Lily Adut Metacognitive methods that create cognitive distance between an individual and their negative thoughts have demonstrated beneficial effects, including reducing avoidance and distress, and increasing meaning-making in response to negative thoughts. Two dimensions of cognitive distancing, self-distancing and experiential distancing, may help clarify mechanisms through which cognitive distancing leads to adaptive versus harmful outcomes. The current study examined self-distancing and experiential distancing in response to intrusive thoughts, which are unpleasant, unwanted thoughts that have been implicated in the development and maintenance of a variety of clinical problems including obsessive-compulsive disorder. Participants (N=212) wrote about an intrusive thought from one of three perspectives that varied according to whether they were self- immersed or self-distanced, as well as whether they were experientially immersed or distanced. Greater degrees of cognitive distancing were anticipated to reduce negative reactions to an intrusive thought and increase self-compassion. Partial support for the hypotheses was found; simultaneously engaging in self-distancing and experiential distancing increased self-compassion as predicted. Consistent with prior literature, the combination of both distanced perspectives most strongly predicted beneficial outcomes. This study clarifies mechanisms of cognitive distancing and identifies possible benefits of utilizing cognitive distancing in the context of intrusive thoughts. LOOKING OUTSIDE OF SELF AND EXPERIENCE: EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE DISTANCING ON INTRUSIVE THOUGHT RESPONSES A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Sarah Lily Adut Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2019 Advisor: Joshua C. Magee, Ph.D. Reader: Terri L. Messman-Moore, Ph.D. Reader: April R. Smith, Ph.D. ©2019 Sarah Lily Adut This Thesis titled LOOKING OUTSIDE OF SELF AND EXPERIENCE: EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE DISTANCING ON INTRUSIVE THOUGHT RESPONSES by Sarah Lily Adut has been approved for publication by The College of Arts and Science and Department of Psychology ____________________________________________________ Joshua C. Magee, Ph.D. ______________________________________________________ Terri L. Messman-Moore, Ph.D. _______________________________________________________ April R. Smith, Ph.D. Table of Contents List of tables………………………………………………………………...iv List of figures……………………………………………………………......v Introduction………………………………………………………………….1 Method………………………………………………………………………5 Sample………………………………………………………………..5 Intrusive thought and writing task……………………………………6 Materials………………………………………………………………6 Procedure……………………………………………………………10 Analytic Plan………………………………………………………...11 Results……………………………………………………………………...11 Sample characteristics……………………………………………….11 Responses to intrusive thoughts……………………………………..12 Exploratory analyses………………………………………………...13 Discussion………………………………………………………………….14 References………………………………………………………………….20 Appendices…………………………………………………………………24 Appendix A: Tables…………………………………………………24 Appendix B: Figures………………………………………………...27 Appendix C: Measures………………………………………………28 iii List of Tables Table 1: Sample Characteristics and Baseline Affect by Condition.............24 Table 2: Single-Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT) Stimuli.…...25 Table 3: Pearson and Spearman correlations between Implicit and Explicit Measures.…………………………………………………………………...26 iv List of Figures Figure 1: Sample SC-IAT screen…………………………………………27 v Acknowledgments I would first like to thank Dr. Joshua Magee for his guidance, support, and good humor throughout the course of this project, from its inception to its completion (and beyond). I would also like to thank Drs. April Smith and Terri Messman-Moore for their service on my committee and for their insightful feedback that has strengthened and refined this project significantly. I am similarly grateful for the contributions of the SCOUT lab, its undergraduate and graduate members alike, who have aided in the development and execution of the study and helped foster my growth and well-being as a new researcher and academic. Guidance and insight from the ACE lab have also been foundational to the success of this project. The remainder of my gratitude goes to members of my graduate cohort for the stellar companionship and commiseration that we have shared. And my mom, too. vi People relate to their thoughts in different ways, and those metacognitive approaches can meaningfully impact mental health. Individuals may view their thoughts as literal representations of reality or as subjective interpretations (Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Masuda, & Lillis, 2006), from their own point of view or from an outside perspective (Kross, Ayduk, & Mischel, 2005), as meaningful or less meaningful (Hayes et al., 2006), and from any number of other perspectives. An example of the impact of metacognitive perspectives can be found in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a disorder theorized to result partially from catastrophized interpretations of intrusive thinking (Salkovskis, 1999; Rachman, 1997). Cognitive models of OCD suggest that intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images, and urges are normative and experienced by most healthy individuals without significant distress or impairment (Rachman, 1997). However, interpretations of intrusive thinking as evidence that one is “bad, mad, or dangerous” (Rachman, 1997) or as being one’s fault or responsibility (Salkovskis, 1999) can lead to distress, greater recurrence of the intrusive thoughts, and increased desire to engage in neutralizing behaviors or compulsions. Cognitive therapies for OCD aim to change the interpretations of thoughts through techniques such as cognitive restructuring. These therapies demonstrate similar effectiveness in reducing obsessive-compulsive symptomatology to exposure and response prevention, commonly considered to be the gold standard treatment for OCD (Öst, Havnen, Hansen, & Kvale, 2015). While cognitive theories and treatments for OCD provide examples of metacognitive influences on negative thoughts, other metacognitive approaches may also have the potential to reduce unhelpful interpretations of intrusive thoughts, such as increasing the cognitive distance from which one views those thoughts. Cognitive distancing encompasses many types of distancing, including self-distancing, or witnessing one’s experiences as a third-person observer. When thinking about an experience, individuals may feel very much as though they are experiencing it through their own eyes, or they may view the event from an outsider’s perspective (Kross & Ayduk, 2011). Self-distancing involves shifting one’s perspective from the former to the latter. When reading this paper, for instance, you likely have been relatively self-immersed and focused on the content of this document and your thoughts on it. Self-distancing might instead entail consideration of the way your act of reading appears from an outside perspective. In fact, reading the last two sentences may have caused you to self-distance to some degree. Self-distancing typically reduces affect, arousal, and physiological reactivity to emotional stimuli when compared to self-immersion 1 (Ayduk & Kross, 2008; Gruber, Harvey, & Johnson, 2009). A moderate degree of both self- immersion and self-distancing is normative among healthy individuals across a variety of thought contents, and a degree of each may be beneficial in different contexts (Ayduk & Kross, 2010). When interacting with negative memories, for instance, self-distancing can reduce short- term arousal and blood pressure reactivity, while self-immersion can heighten positive affect when interacting with positive memories (Ayduk & Kross, 2010; Ayduk & Kross, 2008; Gruber et al., 2009). Thus, effective matching of distancing or immersion to the affective tenor of mental experiences may result in enhanced emotional outcomes. For intrusive thinking, which is typically followed by negative emotional reactions, self-distancing may serve to temper the immediate negative emotional impact. Despite the promising implications of self-distancing, the work of Kross, Ayduk, & Mischel (2005) suggests that a self-distanced vantage point alone does not lead to decreased negative affect when interacting with memories. Instead, they suggest that self-distancing may only be effective in conjunction with a particular type of self-focus. Specifically, a self-distanced focus on what happened in a distressing memory (distanced-what) has not been found to reduce negative affect or distress in healthy samples. Only a combination of a self-distanced vantage point and a focus on why events took place and why an emotional reaction was experienced (distanced-why) has been found to reduce negative affect in that context (Kross et al., 2005). When individuals take a distanced-what perspective, concrete and immediate facets of the memory surface that lead to superficial attributions and the reexperiencing of intense and specific emotions (Kross et al., 2005). Together, these features make it more difficult for individuals to maintain psychological distance (Kross et al., 2005). Such research converges with findings that observer perspective (without an explicit why focus), defined as a third-person perspective of one’s experiences, is actually associated with rumination and general and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Examining Defensive Distancing Behavior in Close Relationships
    Examining defensive distancing behavior in close relationships: The role of self-esteem and emotion regulation Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Monica E. Lindgren, B.A. Psychology Graduate Program The Ohio State University 2012 Thesis Committee: Professor Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D., Advisor Professor Julian Thayer, Ph.D. Professor Jennifer Cheavens, Ph.D. i Copyrighted by Monica E. Lindgren 2012 ii Abstract The risk regulation model proposes that people with low self-esteem (LSE), but not those with high self-esteem (HSE), react to potential threats to belonging by defensively distancing from their relationships. The present study hypothesized that self-focused rumination following threats to belonging, by forcing people with LSE to spend time considering their self-worth, would enhance this defensive distancing behavior. Participants were asked to recall self-relevant feedback they had received from someone they considered very close, and then completed a rumination or distraction task. Contrary to expectations, LSEs who were instructed to distract from threats to belonging reported more negative behavioral intentions towards their close other than those who were instructed to ruminate. However, in comparison to distraction, there was a trend for rumination to amplify LSEs’ negative affect following the recalled threats to belonging. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for risk regulation theory and for possible future directions. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, for all her support, feedback, and guidance over the past few years.
    [Show full text]
  • Individual Differences in Social Distancing and Mask-Wearing in the Pandemic of COVID-19
    1 Individual Differences in Social Distancing and Mask-Wearing in the Pandemic of COVID-19: The Role of Need for Cognition, Self-control, and Risk Attitude Ping Xu Wenzhou University Jiuqing Cheng University of Northern Iowa Version 3 Uploaded on Jan 30, 2021 Accepted by Personality and Individual Differences https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110706 Correspondence: Jiuqing Cheng, [email protected] 2 Abstract In the United States, while the number of COVID-19 cases continue to increase, the practice of social distancing and mask-wearing have been controversial and even politicized. The present study examined the role of psychological traits in social distancing compliance and mask- wearing behavior and attitude. A sample of 233 U.S. adult residents were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants completed scales of social distancing compliance, mask-wearing behavior and attitude, need for cognition, self-control, risk attitude, and political ideology. Epidemiological information (seven-day positive rate and the number of cases per 100,000) was obtained based on the state participants resided in. As a result, epidemiological information did not correlate with protective behaviors. Political ideology, on the other hand, was a significant factor, with a more liberal tendency being associated with greater engagement in social distancing compliance and mask-wearing behavior an attitude. Importantly, those who were more risk averse, or had a higher level of self-control or need for cognition practiced more social distancing and mask-wearing, after controlling for demographics, epidemiological information, and political ideology. For mask-wearing behavior, political ideology interacted with both need for cognition and self-control.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Self-Distancing on Aggressive Affect, Cognition, and Behavior
    Flies on the wall are less aggressive: Effects of self-distancing on aggressive affect, cognition, and behavior. THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Dominik Mischkowski Graduate Program in Psychology The Ohio State University 2012 Master's Examination Committee: Jennifer K. Crocker (Advisor) Brad J. Bushman William A. Cunningham Copyrighted by Dominik Mischkowski 2012 Abstract People tend to ruminate after being provoked, which is like using gasoline to put out a fire — it feeds the flame by keeping aggressive thoughts and angry feelings active. Previous research has shown that reflecting over past provocations from a self-distanced perspective reduces aggressive thoughts and angry feelings. However, it is unclear whether self-distancing ―in the heat of the moment‖ — immediately after provocation — has similar effects. In addition, no research has tested whether self-distancing reduces aggressive behavior. Two experiments addressed these issues. In Experiment 1, provoked participants who self-distanced had fewer aggressive thoughts and feelings than did provoked participants who self-immersed or were in a control group. Experiment 2 showed that provoked participants who self-distanced were less aggressive than were provoked participants who self-immersed or were in a control group. These findings demonstrate that self-distancing reduces aggression, even in the heat of the moment. ii Acknowledgments First of all, I want to thank Prof. Jennifer Crocker, Prof. Ethan Kross, Prof. Brad Bushman, and Prof. Wil Cunningham their constant advice and support. Without their mentorship and supervision, this thesis would not have been realized.
    [Show full text]
  • Public Perceptions and Experiences of Social Distancing and Social Isolation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a UK- Based Focus
    Open access Original research BMJ Open: first published as 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039334 on 20 July 2020. Downloaded from Public perceptions and experiences of social distancing and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a UK- based focus group study Simon N Williams ,1 Christopher J Armitage,2 Tova Tampe,3 Kimberly Dienes2 To cite: Williams SN, ABSTRACT Strengths and limitations of this study Armitage CJ, Tampe T, Objective This study explored UK public perceptions et al. Public perceptions and experiences of social distancing and social isolation ► A strength of this this study is that it can help inform and experiences of social related to the COVID-19 pandemic. distancing and social social distancing and isolation ‘exit strategies’, since Design This qualitative study comprised five focus isolation during the COVID-19 it provides evidence of how people are likely to be- groups, carried out online during the early stages of the pandemic: a UK- based focus have when these measures are removed or relaxed. UK’s stay at home order (‘lockdown’), and analysed using a group study. BMJ Open ► Another strength of this study is that it is the first thematic approach. 2020;10:e039334. doi:10.1136/ qualitative study of its kind to provide evidence on Setting Focus groups took place via online bmjopen-2020-039334 the current mental health impacts of COVID-19- videoconferencing. Prepublication history for related social distancing and isolation. ► Participants Participants (n=27) were all UK residents this paper is available online. ► Another strength is its finding of the various forms aged 18 years and older, representing a range of gender, To view these files, please visit of ‘loss’ as a new concept through which to under- ethnic, age and occupational backgrounds.
    [Show full text]
  • The Multi-Dimensional Contributions of Prefrontal Circuits to Emotion Regulation During Adulthood and Critical Stages of Development
    brain sciences The Multi-Dimensional Contributions of Prefrontal Circuits to Emotion Regulation during Adulthood and Critical Stages of Development Edited by Angela Roberts Printed Edition of the Special Issue Published in Brain Sciences www.mdpi.com/journal/brainsci The Multi-Dimensional Contributions of Prefrontal Circuits to Emotion Regulation during Adulthood and Critical Stages of Development The Multi-Dimensional Contributions of Prefrontal Circuits to Emotion Regulation during Adulthood and Critical Stages of Development Special Issue Editor Angela Roberts MDPI • Basel • Beijing • Wuhan • Barcelona • Belgrade Special Issue Editor Angela Roberts University of Cambridge UK Editorial Office MDPI St. Alban-Anlage 66 4052 Basel, Switzerland This is a reprint of articles from the Special Issue published online in the open access journal Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825) from 2018 to 2019 (available at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/brainsci/special issues/Neuro Emotion). For citation purposes, cite each article independently as indicated on the article page online and as indicated below: LastName, A.A.; LastName, B.B.; LastName, C.C. Article Title. Journal Name Year, Article Number, Page Range. ISBN 978-3-03921-702-1 (Pbk) ISBN 978-3-03921-703-8 (PDF) c 2019 by the authors. Articles in this book are Open Access and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. The book as a whole is distributed by MDPI under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND.
    [Show full text]
  • Motivations for Social Distancing and App Use As Complementary Measures to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic: Quantitative Survey Study
    JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH Kaspar Original Paper Motivations for Social Distancing and App Use as Complementary Measures to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic: Quantitative Survey Study Kai Kaspar, Prof Dr Dr Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Corresponding Author: Kai Kaspar, Prof Dr Dr Department of Psychology University of Cologne Richard-Strauss-Str. 2 Cologne, 50931 Germany Phone: 49 221 470 2347 Email: [email protected] Abstract Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic is showing negative effects on human health as well as on social and economic life. It is a critical and challenging task to revive public life while minimizing the risk of infection. Reducing interactions between people by social distancing is an effective and prevalent measure to reduce the risk of infection and spread of the virus within a community. Current developments in several countries show that this measure can be technologically accompanied by mobile apps; meanwhile, privacy concerns are being intensively discussed. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine central cognitive variables that may constitute people's motivations for social distancing, using an app, and providing health-related data requested by two apps that differ in their direct utility for the individual user. The results may increase our understanding of people's concerns and convictions, which can then be specifically addressed by public-oriented communication strategies and appropriate political decisions. Methods: This study refers to the protection motivation theory, which is adaptable to both health-related and technology-related motivations. The concept of social trust was added. The quantitative survey included answers from 406 German-speaking participants who provided assessments of data security issues, trust components, and the processes of threat and coping appraisal related to the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection by social distancing.
    [Show full text]
  • Applying Construal Level Theory to Communication Strategies for Participatory Sustainable Development
    Applying Construal Level Theory to Communication Strategies for Participatory Sustainable Development D.H. Strongheart Florence Obison Fabio Bordoni School of Engineering Blekinge Institute of Technology Karlskrona, Sweden Thesis submitted for completion of Master of Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Karlskrona, Sweden. Abstract: To the vast majority of people, the terms “sustainability” and “sustainable development” are unfamiliar, and, when they are recognized, there is still a great deal of interpretability as to their significance. Since no consensus exists regarding these terms, communication efforts to promote action and awareness among citizens must invariably “frame” the issue of sustainable development in one way or another. By and large, most communication strategies promote small private-sphere actions relevant to patterns of consumption. While these small actions are helpful, participatory, collective, public-sphere activism towards sustainability is much more potent and desirable. In attempting to engage this type of participatory action, communicators must understand the psychological barriers that are likely to confront their efforts. Communication professionals recognize that one such barrier, that of perceived, or, psychological distance, from issues of non-sustainability is especially pernicious. This paper attempts to apply Construal Level Theory (CLT), which provides “an account of how psychological distance influences individuals’ thoughts and behavior” (Trope et al. 2007) to the design of communication strategies for participatory sustainable development. After providing a thorough review of CLT, the authors examine the many ways that the theory can contribute to the design of communication strategies for participatory sustainable development. Keywords: Construal Level Theory, psychological distance, high construal mindset, framing, participatory sustainable development.
    [Show full text]
  • A Closer Look at African American Men and High Blood Pressure Control
    A Review of Psychosocial Factors and Systems-Level Interventions A Closer Look at African American Men and High Blood Pressure Control U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention Mail Stop K–47 · 4770 Buford Highway, NE · Atlanta, Georgia 30341 800-CDC-INFO · [email protected] · www.cdc.gov/DHDSP 10_211234-A Suggested Citation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A Closer Look at African American Men and High Blood Pressure Control: A Review of Psychosocial Factors and Systems-Level Interventions. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2010. Photos: The photographs used in this publication are for illustration purposes only. They show African American men from various age groups. They are not intended to depict people who have high blood pressure or who had a heart attack or stroke. For Free Copies or Additional Information: E-mail: [email protected] Write: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, NCCDPHP Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 4770 Buford Highway, NE, Mailstop K-47 Atlanta, GA 30341 Phone: 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636) TTY: 1-888-232-6348 Online: http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control
    [Show full text]
  • Empathic Control Through Coordinated Interaction of Amygdala, Theory of Mind and Extended Pain Matrix Brain Regions
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Departmental Papers (ASC) Annenberg School for Communication 7-2015 Empathic Control through Coordinated Interaction of Amygdala, Theory of Mind and Extended Pain Matrix Brain Regions Emile Bruneau University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Nir Jacoby Rebecca Saxe Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers Part of the Biological Psychology Commons, Cognition and Perception Commons, Cognitive Psychology Commons, Communication Commons, Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, and the Social Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Bruneau, E., Jacoby, N., & Saxe, R. (2015). Empathic Control through Coordinated Interaction of Amygdala, Theory of Mind and Extended Pain Matrix Brain Regions. NeuroImage, 114 105-119. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.04.034 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/568 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Empathic Control through Coordinated Interaction of Amygdala, Theory of Mind and Extended Pain Matrix Brain Regions Abstract Brain regions in the “pain matrix”, can be activated by observing or reading about others in physical pain. In previous research, we found that reading stories about others' emotional suffering, by contrast, recruits a different group of brain regions mostly associated with thinking about others' minds. In the current study, we examined the neural circuits responsible for deliberately regulating empathic responses to others' pain and suffering. In Study 1, a sample of college-aged participants (n = 18) read stories about physically painful and emotionally distressing events during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), while either actively empathizing with the main character or trying to remain objective.
    [Show full text]
  • Self-Distancing: Theory, Research, and Current Directions
    ARTICLE IN PRESS Self-Distancing: Theory, Research, and Current Directions E. Kross*,1, O. Ayduk†,1 *University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States †University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States 1Corresponding authors: e-mail address: [email protected]; [email protected] Contents 1. The Self-Reflection Puzzle 82 2. Self-Distancing: A Tool to Promote Adaptive Self-Reflection 83 2.1 Background 83 2.2 Conceptual Framework 85 3. Making Meaning From Afar 87 3.1 Paradigm Overview 87 3.2 Experimental Results 88 3.3 Spontaneous Self-Distancing 90 3.4 Behavioral Implications 91 3.5 From Adults to Children 92 3.6 Clinical Generalizability 93 3.7 Implications for Physical Health 97 3.8 Neural Correlates 98 3.9 From the Past to the Future 100 3.10 Summary 100 4. Self-Talk 100 4.1 Initial Studies 101 4.2 Implications for Emotion Regulation 103 4.3 Challenge vs Threat Construals 104 4.4 From the Lab to Daily Life 105 4.5 An Effortless Form of Self-Control? 107 4.6 Clinical Implications 109 4.7 Converging Evidence 110 4.8 Summary 111 5. Mental Time Travel 111 5.1 Experimental Evidence 111 5.2 Individual Differences 113 5.3 Converging Evidence 114 5.4 Summary 115 6. Self-Distancing Training 115 6.1 Laboratory Training Intervention 115 # Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 2016 Elsevier Inc. 81 ISSN 0065-2601 All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/bs.aesp.2016.10.002 ARTICLE IN PRESS 82 E. Kross and O. Ayduk 6.2 Online Training Intervention 116 6.3 Converging Evidence 117 6.4 Summary 118 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Construal Level Theory and Consumer Behavior
    JOURNAL OF CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY, 17(2), 113–117 Copyright © 2007, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. HJCP Construal Level Theory and Consumer Behavior Construal Level Theory and Consumer Behavior Nira Liberman Tel Aviv University Yaacov Trope New York University Cheryl Wakslak New York University The three commentaries on our paper “Construal Levels and Psychological Distance: Effects on Representation, Prediction, Evaluation, and Behavior” offer insightful theoretical extensions and practical applications of construal level theory (CLT). We were inspired and challenged by the commentaries to elaborate on a number of issues, although our elaboration more often raises questions and speculations than provides definite answers. Owing to space limitations, however, we could discuss only some of the issues raised in the commentaries. The first set of issues concerns our theoretical framework, namely, similarities and differ- ences among distance dimensions, the question of additional distances, the nature of the interaction among distances, and the relationship between psychological distance and con- struct of stimulus information sampling. The second set of issues concerns applications of CLT to consumer choice, namely, how to make better decisions, the nature of regret, and how people construct and process choice sets. WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTANCE? raises, perhaps, the question of internet shopping. At first glance, then, each of these distance dimensions seems to Similarities and Differences among the Dimensions pertain to a different domain with distinct questions and of Psychological Distance solutions. An intriguing idea that the commentaries raise is that the communalities among the dimensions of psycholog- As both we and the commentaries suggest, the various ical distance may allow us to import questions and solutions dimensions of psychological distance upon which we have from one domain to the other.
    [Show full text]
  • SOCIAL DISTANCING and MENTAL HEALTH 1 Adolescents' Motivations to Engage in Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: As
    SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MENTAL HEALTH 1 Adolescents’ Motivations to Engage in Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Associations with Mental and Social Health Benjamin Oosterhoff1, Cara A. Palmer1, Jenna Wilson2, & Natalie Shook3 1Department of Psychology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173440 Bozeman, MT 59717- 3440 2Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6040 Morganton, WV, 26506 3School of Nursing, University of Connecticut, 231 Glenbrook Rd., Unit 4026, Storrs, CT 06269 Word count: 3120 Address correspondence to: Benjamin Oosterhoff Department of Psychology Montana State University P.O. Box 173440 Bozeman, MT 59717-3440 USA E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 517-897-4160 Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity (CAIRHE) at Montana State University. SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MENTAL HEALTH 2 Abstract Purpose: Reducing the spread of infectious disease during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prompted recommendations for individuals to limit physical contact with others and engage in social distancing. Less is known about why youth are engaging in social distancing and how these motivations are connected with their engagement, mental health, and social health. Using a large sample of adolescents from across the United States, this study examined adolescents’ motivations for social distancing, their engagement in social distancing, and their mental and social health. Methods: Data were collected March 29th and 30th 2020, two-weeks after COVID-19 was declared a national emergency in the United States. The sample consisted of 683 adolescents recruited using social media. A series of multiple linear regressions examined unique associations among adolescents’ motivations to engage in social distancing, social distancing behaviors, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, burdensomeness, and belongingness.
    [Show full text]