The effects of feedback valance and progress monitoring on goal striving
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Current Psychology
Abstract
The current paper explores how people’s goal strivings are influenced by feedback (positively valenced vs. negatively valenced), progress monitoring (remaining vs. accumulated) and goal specificity (vague vs. specific). Two laboratory-based experiments were performed. Experiment 1 reveals that, after receiving positively valenced feedback, participants who focus on accumulated progress show larger boosts in persistence than participants who focus on remaining progress. In contrast, after receiving negatively valenced feedback, participants who focus on remaining progress show larger boosts in persistence than participants who focus on accumulated progress. Experiment 2 extends the scope of the paper from understanding the effects of progress monitoring on goal striving to the effects goal specificity on goal striving. Experiment 2 shows that after receiving negatively valenced feedback, participants asked to consider specific goals (and so likely focus on remaining progress) show more persistence than participants asked to consider vague goals (and so likely focus on accumulated progress). These findings have important implications for motivation theory and applied practice.
First Page
4574
Last Page
4591
DOI
10.1007/s12144-020-00925-8
Publication Date
7-1-2022
Recommended Citation
Borovoi, Leah; Schmidtke, Kelly; and Vlaev, Ivo, "The effects of feedback valance and progress monitoring on goal striving" (2022). Liberal Arts Faculty Publications. 42.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00925-8
https://collections.uhsp.edu/liberal-arts_pubs/42