Metamotivational Knowledge of Emotions As Motivational Input
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Metamotivational Knowledge of Emotions as Motivational Input Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Seel Bee Lee Graduate Program in Psychology The Ohio State University 2020 Thesis Committee Kentaro Fujita, Advisor Lisa K. Libby, Advisor Russ H. Fazio 1 Copyrighted by Seel Bee Lee 2020 2 Abstract Metamotivation research demonstrates that people may understand how to create task motivation fit by regulating their motivations to fit the demands of a given task (Scholer & Miele, 2016; Nguyen, Carnevale, Scholer, Miele, & Fujita, 2019). To effectively regulate one’s motivation, one must understand (a) which task would benefit from what motivational states (i.e., task knowledge) and (b) how to instantiate the desired states (i.e., strategy knowledge). The present research explored an alternative way to create task-motivation fit by strategically selecting tasks based on current motivational states. To do so, one must be able to recognize what motivational state one is currently in (i.e., self-knowledge) in addition to task knowledge. Although there is some preliminary evidence for task knowledge, research to-date has not examined whether people can determine their motivational states, and by what mechanisms. We propose people’s feelings or emotional state may signal one’s current motivational states and guide their goal-directed behaviors. Given the association between emotions and the level of construal (e.g., Moran, Bornstein, & Eyal, 2019), the present research first examined to what extent people use emotions as cues to determine their motivational states within the context of construal level theory. Based on our prepositions, we hypothesized that people may attend to their emotional states to infer their current level of construal and therefore, strategically choose different tasks based on their current emotions. Studies 1a and 1b ii demonstrate that people not only distinguish high-level and low-level emotions but they may also understand the differential benefits of high-level versus low-level emotions in task performance. Studies 2 and 3 extend these findings and provide empirical evidence that people strategically prefer either high-level or low-level task depending on the level of emotions. The results from Studies 1-3 suggest that people may understand the functional role of emotions in signaling one’s motivational states and they may be able to capitalize on their emotions to create task-motivation fit. However, this is not entirely conclusive given the results of Study 4, which did not replicate Studies 2 and 3. Alternative explanations, future directions, and implications of these findings are discussed. iii Acknowledgments I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Kentaro Fujita, for his great mentorship, continuous support, and intellectual guidance throughout the research process. Whenever I ran into a brick wall during the research and writing process, he provided me insightful advice and constructive feedback and steered me in the right direction. I am also indebted to my collaborator and my friend, Tina Nguyen. Without her encouragement and dedicated involvement in every step throughout the process, this work would not have been possible. I am grateful to my advisor, Lisa Libby, and my committee member, Russ Fazio, for their invaluable suggestions and thoughtful comments on this project. I would also like to thank the members of the Fujita Lab and the Social Cognition Research Group for giving me helpful comments and warm support during the course of this research. Lastly, I thank my family, my parents and my little brother, Mati, for their unconditional love and support throughout my life. I would not be the person I am today without them. I am also grateful to my partner who accompanied me on this venture. iv Vita February 2014 ...................................... B.B.A., Sogang University 2014 ...................................................... Graduate Teaching Associate, Yonsei University 2014-2016 ............................................ Brain Korea 21 PLUS Fellow, Department of Psychology, Yonsei University February 2017 ...................................... M.A., Psychology, Yonsei University 2018-2019 ............................................. University Fellow, The Ohio State University 2019 to present ...................................... Graduate Teaching/ Research Associate, Department of Psychology, OSU Publication Lee, S. B., Bae, E., Sohn, Y. W., & Lee, S. (2016). Grit as a buffer against negative feedback: The effect of grit on emotional responses to negative feedback. The Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology, 30(3), 25-45. Fields of Study Major Field: Psychology v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Metamotivation ............................................................................................................... 2 Metamotivational knowledge of Construal Level as Motivational Orientations ............ 4 Emotions as Motivational Input: Emotion as a Cue for Motivational States ................. 8 High-Level and Low-Level Emotions ............................................................................ 9 The Present Research .................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2. Studies 1a & 1b .............................................................................................. 13 Method .......................................................................................................................... 13 Results ........................................................................................................................... 17 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 3. Study 2............................................................................................................ 19 Method .......................................................................................................................... 20 Results ........................................................................................................................... 25 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 30 Chapter 4. Study 3............................................................................................................ 32 Method .......................................................................................................................... 33 Results ........................................................................................................................... 35 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 38 Chapter 5. Integrative Data Analysis ............................................................................... 40 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 43 Chapter 6. Study 4............................................................................................................ 46 Method .......................................................................................................................... 47 Results ........................................................................................................................... 47 vi Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 50 Chapter 7. General Discussion ......................................................................................... 54 Enduring Questions and Alternative Explanations ....................................................... 54 Future Directions and Implications ............................................................................... 57 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 60 References ......................................................................................................................... 61 Appendix A. Task Scenarios and Instructions for Studies 1a and 1b .............................. 68 Appendix B. Task Stimuli for Study 2.............................................................................. 70 Appendix C. Task Stimuli for Studies 3 and 4 ................................................................. 72 Appendix D. All Figures ..................................................................................................