Self-Regulatory Mechanisms As a Driver of Adaptive Performance Over Time
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AN INSIGHT INTO ADAPTATION: SELF-REGULATORY MECHANISMS AS A DRIVER OF ADAPTIVE PERFORMANCE OVER TIME By Samantha K. Baard A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Psychology – Master of Arts 2013 ABSTRACT AN INSIGHT INTO ADAPTATION: SELF-REGULATORY MECHANISMS AS A DRIVER OF ADAPTIVE PERFORMANCE OVER TIME By Samantha K. Baard As the workplace becomes more complex there is an increasing need to further our understanding of the adaptive process that occurs in order to maintain the effectiveness of individuals facing changing circumstances. This study is an extension of previous work in the performance adaptation literature investigating the effect of training inductions and self- regulatory variables on individual performance trajectories after an adaptive change in a lab- based computer simulation. Bivariate latent difference score models were used for analyses and revealed that trainings that encouraged errors were most beneficial for the adaptation of individuals. Furthermore, when individuals were not informed to avoid errors but were given an opportunity to learn the task through exploration, they adapted better than if they were given step-by-step instructions. With regard to the self-regulatory processes, individuals who were able to identify the origin of the change in the task and sought feedback and information that aligned with that change required less of that information over time. When motivation was high, performance was increased; however, less effort was needed to have increased performance when individuals devoted effort to the aspects of the task that changed versus simply increasing their amount of effort. Although this study takes the next step of investigating the self-regulatory processes during adaptation, future research should investigate how these processes, taken together, create a cycle of self-regulation that influences the adaptation of individuals. This work is dedicated to Dr. and Mrs. Paul P. Baard and Mr. William C. Perry. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to deeply thank my advisor, Dr. Steve Kozlowski, who provided me with excellent guidance and direction in this project and superb intellectual training in reaching my goals. He not only assisted me in the expansion of my knowledge of conducting behavioral research, but also immensely aided my growth in theory development. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Rick DeShon and Dr. Daisy Chang, for their valuable advice and dedication of time and effort on my behalf. It has been my honor to see how their insights and assessments have developed not only this thesis but also my educational development. I also owe immense gratitude to my parents, Paul and Veronica Baard, for their constant encouragement for me to pursue education throughout my entire life; to my ever-supportive William Perry, who has been there for me and kept my perspective in check through each step of this thesis; and to my God, Jesus Christ, by whose strength I can do all things. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................1 ADAPTATION – Extant Research ..............................................................................................4 Three Conceptualizations of Adaptation .................................................................................4 The Construct Approach .........................................................................................................5 Performance construct ....................................................................................................5 Individual difference construct ......................................................................................6 The Performance Change Approach .....................................................................................8 Moving Toward a Process Approach ...................................................................................11 ADAPTATION – New Direction ................................................................................................18 Cognitive Pathway ...................................................................................................................19 Guided Versus Proceduralized Learning Yielding Self-evaluative Activity .......................19 Mechanisms of the Process: Strategic Self-evaluative Activity Yielding Strategic Information Gathering, Strategic Effort, and Performance ...............................25 Motivational Pathway ..............................................................................................................29 Error Encouragement Versus Error Avoidance Yielding Self-efficacy .............................30 Mechanisms of the Process: Self-efficacy Yielding Goals, Effort and Performance ......31 Summary ...................................................................................................................................36 METHOD .....................................................................................................................................38 Participants ...............................................................................................................................38 Task ...........................................................................................................................................38 Design ........................................................................................................................................39 Procedure ..................................................................................................................................39 Familiarization Phase ...........................................................................................................39 Training Phase ......................................................................................................................41 Adaptation Phase ..................................................................................................................41 Training Inductions .................................................................................................................42 Learning Type .......................................................................................................................43 Guided exploration ........................................................................................................43 Proceduralized instruction ............................................................................................43 Error Framing ......................................................................................................................43 Error-encouragement ...................................................................................................43 v Error-avoidance ............................................................................................................44 Measures ...................................................................................................................................44 Before the Familiarization Phase ........................................................................................44 Cognitive ability .............................................................................................................44 Demographics................................................................................................................45 Trait goal orientation ....................................................................................................45 After the Training Phase ......................................................................................................45 Basic and strategic knowledge ......................................................................................45 State goal orientation ....................................................................................................46 Throughout the Adaptation Phase .......................................................................................46 Self-efficacy ...................................................................................................................46 Goal level .......................................................................................................................46 Total effort .....................................................................................................................46 Self-evaluative activity ..................................................................................................47 Information gathering ..................................................................................................47 Strategic effort ...............................................................................................................47 Performance ..................................................................................................................48 Statistical Models .....................................................................................................................48 RESULTS .....................................................................................................................................52