Karl-Andrew Woltin

Group-based self-regulation: The effects of regulatory focus

Self-regulation has recently been introduced as a means to investigate motivational processes in (inter)group research, thus granting new insights into similar mechanisms underlying diverse intergroup phenomena. This article focuses on empirical studies applying the predominant self-regulation approach to intergroup research: regulatory focus theory and its sister theory self-discrepancy theory. Studies conducted along these research lines are summarised, integrated, and evaluated as to whether the collective level has actually been addressed in terms of four criteria (adopted from Smith, Seger, & Mackie, 2007): effects stemming from ingroup rather than individual variables, stronger effects among more highly identified individuals, functionality for and social sharedness of the behaviour within the ingroup. The current evaluation leads to the conclusion that group-based self-regulation does indeed exist, meaning that group members self-regulate based on their social identity. Finally, the relation between current group-based self-regulation research and earlier research on motivation and (inter)group phenomena is clarified.

Eine sozialpsychologische Analyse zur Reduzierung sozialer Diskriminierung von Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund

Zusammenfassung. Migration hat die deutsche Gesellschaft verandert. In jungster Zeit wird dies auch auf politischer Ebene verstarkt diskutiert. Wenngleich die Integration von Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund angestrebt wird, so sind sie dennoch haufig sozialer Diskriminierung ausgesetzt, die einer erfolgreichen Integration entgegensteht. Ausgehend vom sozial-kognitiven Ansatz und dem Ansatz der sozialen Identitat gibt der vorliegende Beitrag einen Uberblick zum Stand der Forschung bezuglich der Faktoren, die zu sozialer Diskriminierung beitragen bzw. ihr entgegenwirken. Dieser Uberblick dient in Folge als Grundlage fur die Ableitung von Empfehlungen bezuglich der Gestaltung politischer und gesellschaftlicher Prozesse mit dem Ziel, durch die Reduzierung sozialer Diskriminierung einen Beitrag zur erfolgreichen gesellschaftlichen Integration von Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund zu leisten. Die resultierenden Empfeh- lungen werden abschliesend integriert und diskutiert. Die Praxisrelevanz, aber auch die diesbezuglichen Grenzen sozialpsychologischer Forschung werden ebenfalls dargestellt. Abstract. Migration has changed German society. Recently, this is being increasingly discussed also at the political level. Even though an integration of migrants is being aspired, migrants often face social discrimination - which in turn impedes successful integration. Based on the social-cognitive approach and the social identity approach, the current article gives and overview on the current research on factors both leading to and counteracting social discrimination. This overview in turn serves as a basis for deriving recommendations regarding the design of political and societal processes aiming at a successful societal integration of migrants by means of a reduction of social discrimination. Subsequently, the derived recommendations are integrated and discussed. Also, both the relevancy to practice as well as boundaries of social psychological research for these issues is illustrated.

Regulatory Focus in Predictions About Others

Based on social projection research, four studies investigated whether people rely on their own regulatory focus when making predictions about others. Chronic (Study 1) and induced (Study 2) regulatory focus shaped estimations of others’ strategic promotion or prevention inclinations and choices between enriched (fitting promotion) and impoverished options (fitting prevention). Providing indirect process evidence via boundary conditions, participants only relied on their induced regulatory focus in predictions of others’ inclinations to seek romantic alternatives to the extent that this did not run counter to stereotypic gender beliefs (Study 3). In addition, participants only relied on their induced regulatory focus in preference predictions concerning promotion and prevention products when they lacked idiosyncratic target knowledge (Study 4). These effects were not mediated by mood, judgment-certainty, perceived task-enjoyment, or task-difficulty. Implications of these findings for social projection research as well as possible interpersonal consequences are delineated.

Showing engagement or not: The influence of social identification and group deadlines on individual control strategies

People often work together in groups that have to reach goals in a given time frame. Nonetheless, the impact of deadlines on group members’ self-control has not been studied so far. Here this topic is addressed by integrating the action-phase model (Heckhausen, 1999), which postulates the use of different self-control strategies during individual-level goal pursuit, with the social identity approach. It was predicted and found in two studies that highly identified group members, in contrast to those who were only weakly identified, responded to a group’s deadline phase (pre vs. post) by showing phase-appropriate patterns of engagement and disengagement. Study 1 measured identification and assessed intentions and behavioral indicators of self-control. Study 2 manipulated identification and assessed self-reports of intended self-control strategies. Overall, the findings corroborate the notion that the social self can serve as a basis for self-regulation.

Retrieving Autobiographical Memories Influences Judgments About Others The Role of Metacognitive Experiences

This research investigates whether metacognitive experiences accompanying the retrieval of autobiographical memories influence judgments about others. Based on social projection research, we tested the hypothesis that ease-of-retrieval, affecting how the self is perceived, affects first impressions. In line with this prediction, Experiment 1 showed that participants asked to recall a few personal instances of assertive behavior (easy retrieval) judged an unknown person to be more assertive than participants recalling many instances (difficult retrieval). Experiment 2, targeting creativity, provided evidence for the retrieval-ease mechanism: The effect disappeared when ease-of-retrieval was discredited as informational source in a misattribution paradigm. Finally, Experiments 3 and 4 replicated this pattern for the same personality traits and demonstrated two boundary conditions: Participants’ ease of autobiographical recalls affected judgments of in- but not outgroup members (Experiment 3), and judgments of unknown others were affected after autobiographical recall but not after recalling behaviors of someone else (Experiment 4).

I can, I do, and so I like: From power to action and aesthetic preferences

The current work tested the hypothesis that power increases reliance on experiences of motor fluency in forming aesthetic preferences. In 4 experiments, participants reported their aesthetic preferences regarding a variety of targets (pictures, movements, objects, and letters). Experiments 1, 2, and 3 manipulated power and motor fluency (via motoric resonance, extraocular muscle training, and dominant hand restriction). Experiment 4 manipulated power and assessed chronic interindividual differences in motor fluency. Across these experiments, power consistently increased reliance on motor fluency in aesthetic preference judgments. This finding was not mediated by differences in mood, judgment certainty, perceived task-demands or task-enjoyment, and derived from the use of motor simulations rather than from power differences in the acquisition of motor experiences. This is the first demonstration suggesting that power changes the formation of preference judgments as a function of motor fluency experiences. The implications of this research for the links between power and action, as well as the understanding of fluency processes are discussed.

Regulatory focus, coping strategies and symptoms of anxiety and depression: A comparison between Syrian refugees in Turkey and Germany

Civil war, flight, escape and expulsion are extremely stressful and assert a negative impact on refugees’ mental health. However scientific research about resilience and coping of refugees is scarce. Especially in the recent refugee crisis, calls have been made to consider factors contributing to coping and resilience in this vulnerable population. Therefore, the current research sought to investigate individual differences that could serve as antecedents of coping and contextual factors that might moderate these effects. Specifically, it took into account individual’s self-regulatory differences in terms of regulatory focus (i.e., a promotion focus on nurturance needs, ideals and gains vs. a prevention focus on security needs, oughts and losses). It furthermore explored contextual influences by considering Syrian refugees in Turkey (Sample 1, N = 273) and Germany (Sample 2, N = 169). Compared to Syrian refugees in Turkey, those in Germany had a stronger promotion focus. They also reported more problem-focused and less maladaptive coping, as well as less symptoms. Both promotion and prevention focus were positively related to problem-focused coping. Problem-focused coping, in turn, predicted more symptoms in Turkey but not in Germany. Furthermore, a stronger promotion focus was associated with less symptoms and maladaptive coping was associated with more symptoms in both samples. These results contribute to the coping literature in demonstrating that under certain conditions problem-focused coping can be maladaptive and extend the scarce previous work on self-regulation and coping. Most importantly, they highlight a promotion focus as a clear resilience factor and the role of maladaptive coping in increasing vulnerability. As such, they might inform the design of effective interventions among Syrian refugees and beyond.

Fitting motivational content and process: A systematic investigation of fit between value framing and self-regulation

OBJECTIVE Values are often phrased as ideals that people seek to approach, but they can also be conceptualized as counter-ideals that people seek to avoid. We aimed to test whether individuals endorse more strongly values that are framed in line with their predominant self-regulatory motivation, using individual difference scales in promotion/prevention (Higgins, 1997) and in behavioral approach/inhibition (Carver & White, 1994). To address this systematically, we developed approach- and avoidance-framed versions of the Portrait Value Questionnaire-RR (PVQ-RR; Schwartz et al., 2012). METHOD Participants completed approach- and avoidance-framed PVQ-RR versions in two studies measuring regulatory focus or motivational orientation (together 414 U.S. adults, 48% female, ages 18-69) and one study manipulating motivational orientation (39 UK high school students, 79% female, ages 16-19). RESULTS Value framing consistently interacted with both self-regulation variables. However, a fit between self-regulation and value framing resulted in greater value endorsement only for promotion-focused and approach-oriented (not prevention-focused and avoidance-oriented) participants. This may be because values are more naturally understood as ideal states that people seek to approach. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide first insights into the psychological process of person-value framing fit affecting value endorsement. We discuss implications for cross-cultural value research and research on value-congruent behavior.

Interkulturelle Kompetenz – Begriffe, Methoden und Trainingseffekte

Makrophanomene wie Globalisierung, internationaler Jugendaustausch, Migration und international tatige Unternehmen erzeugen einen Bedarf an Wissen um eine erfolgreiche Kommunikation zwischen Personen mit unterschiedlichem kulturellem Hintergrund. Dementsprechend gilt interkulturelle Kompetenz heute als ein Verhaltensmerkmal, an dem – um es umgangssprachlich auszudrucken – „fast niemand mehr vorbei kommt“, denn sie umfasst die personlichen Voraussetzungen, um interkulturelle Situationen zu meistern. Schuler und bereits Kindergartenkinder sollen lernen, wie man mit Menschen aus anderen Kulturen adaquat umgeht, fur viele Mitarbeiter in Exportunternehmen reicht Fachkompetenz gepaart mit ublicher Sozialkompetenz nicht mehr aus und Einwanderer wie Auswanderer sehen sich in der Vorbereitung ihrer Ein- oder Ausreise mit Kursen und Tests konfrontiert.