You have to want it
The Pandora Effect: The Power and Peril of Curiosity
Christopher Hsee & Bowen Ruan
Psychological Science, forthcoming
Abstract:
Curiosity — the desire for information — underlies many human activities, from reading celebrity gossip to developing nuclear science. Curiosity is well recognized as a human blessing. Is it also a human curse? Tales about such things as Pandora’s box suggest that it is, but scientific evidence is lacking. In four controlled experiments, we demonstrated that curiosity could lead humans to expose themselves to aversive stimuli (even electric shocks) for no apparent benefits. The research suggests that humans possess an inherent desire, independent of consequentialist considerations, to resolve uncertainty; when facing something uncertain and feeling curious, they will act to resolve the uncertainty even if they expect negative consequences. This research reveals the potential perverse side of curiosity, and is particularly relevant to the current epoch, the epoch of information, and to the scientific community, a community with high curiosity.
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When unfair treatment helps performance
Jordan Axt & Shigehiro Oishi
Motivation and Emotion, April 2016, Pages 243-257
Abstract:
Human beings are responsive to fairness violations. People reject unfair offers and go out of their way to punish those who behave unfairly. However, little is known regarding when unfair treatment can either help or harm performance. We found that basketball players were more likely to make free throws after being awarded a foul specific to unfair treatment (Study 1). Similarly, hockey players were more likely to score during a penalty shot compared to a shootout (Study 2). A laboratory experiment showed that participants were more accurate at golf putting after a previous attempt had been unfairly nullified (Study 3). However, a final experiment revealed that when the task was more demanding, unfair treatment resulted in worse performance (Study 4). Moreover, this effect was mediated by feelings of anger and frustration. These results suggest that performance is sensitive to perceptions of fairness and justice.
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A Neural Signature of Private Property Rights
Lauri Sääksvuori et al.
Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics, March 2016, Pages 38-49
Abstract:
This study investigates the neural correlates of behavior that leads individuals to ascribe different value to property acquired through their own effort than to property received as a windfall gain. We examine individuals’ neural response to anticipated and experienced monetary losses from earned and unearned monetary endowments using functional MRI. We show that the neural processing of monetary losses is modulated by the effort one has put into earning the money at stake. In particular, we find that the loss of earned monetary endowment leads to a decreasing activity in the brain’s reward system. Our results suggest that the exertion of one’s own effort to gain ownership increases the neurally measured value of ownership rights. Our results and method may prove useful in developing the first steps toward a biologically informed valuation of property rights. Neural methods may help in the future to design efficient and just compensation schemes for property taken by eminent domain.
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Adam Weinberger, Hari Iyer & Adam Green
PLoS ONE, March 2016
Abstract:
Humans have an impressive ability to augment their creative state (i.e., to consciously try and succeed at thinking more creatively). Though this “thinking cap” phenomenon is commonly experienced, the range of its potential has not been fully explored by creativity research, which has often focused instead on creativity as a trait. A key question concerns the extent to which conscious augmentation of state creativity can improve creative reasoning. Although artistic creativity is also of great interest, it is creative reasoning that frequently leads to innovative advances in science and industry. Here, we studied state creativity in analogical reasoning, a form of relational reasoning that spans the conceptual divide between intelligence and creativity and is a core mechanism for creative innovation. Participants performed a novel Analogy Finding Task paradigm in which they sought valid analogical connections in a matrix of word-pairs. An explicit creativity cue elicited formation of substantially more creative analogical connections (measured via latent semantic analysis). Critically, the increase in creative analogy formation was not due to a generally more liberal criterion for analogy formation (that is, it appeared to reflect “real” creativity rather than divergence at the expense of appropriateness). The use of an online sample provided evidence that state creativity augmentation can be successfully elicited by remote cuing in an online environment. Analysis of an intelligence measure provided preliminary indication that the influential “threshold hypothesis,” which has been proposed to characterize the relationship between intelligence and trait creativity, may be extensible to the new domain of state creativity.
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The Calendar Mindset: Scheduling Takes the Fun Out and Puts the Work In
Gabriela Tonietto & Selin Malkoc
Journal of Marketing Research, forthcoming
Abstract:
Consumers often schedule their activities in an attempt to more efficiently use their time. While the benefits of scheduling are well established, its potential downsides are not well understood. The authors examine if scheduling uniquely undermines the benefits of leisure activities. In thirteen studies using unambiguously leisure activities that are commonly scheduled by consumers (e.g., movies, a coffee break), they find that scheduling a leisure activity (vs. experiencing it impromptu) makes it feel more work-like and diminishes its utility, both in terms of excitement in anticipation of the activity as well as experienced enjoyment. This is because scheduling temporally structures these otherwise free-flowing leisure activities. As a result, maintaining the free-flowing nature of the activity by roughly scheduling (without pre-specified times) eliminates this effect, indicating that the effect is driven by a detriment from scheduling rather than a boost from spontaneity. Furthermore, the negative effects of scheduling are unique to leisure and do not occur for work activities. The reported findings highlight an important opportunity to improve consumers’ experiences and utility by leveraging scheduling behavior.
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Discouraged by Peer Excellence: Exposure to Exemplary Peer Performance Causes Quitting
Todd Rogers & Avi Feller
Psychological Science, March 2016, Pages 365-374
Abstract:
People are exposed to exemplary peer performances often (and sometimes by design in interventions). In two studies, we showed that exposure to exemplary peer performances can undermine motivation and success by causing people to perceive that they cannot attain their peers’ high levels of performance. It also causes de-identification with the relevant domain. We examined such discouragement by peer excellence by exploiting the incidental exposure to peers’ abilities that occurs when students are asked to assess each other’s work. Study 1 was a natural experiment in a massive open online course that employed peer assessment (N = 5,740). Exposure to exemplary peer performances caused a large proportion of students to quit the course. Study 2 explored underlying psychological mechanisms in an online replication (N = 361). Discouragement by peer excellence has theoretical implications for work on social judgment, social comparison, and reference bias and has practical implications for interventions that induce social comparisons.
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Deborah Davis et al.
Law and Human Behavior, forthcoming
Abstract:
Interviewers often face respondents reluctant to disclose sensitive, embarrassing or potentially damaging information. We explored effects of priming 5 states of mind on willingness to disclose: including 2 expected to facilitate disclosure (self-affirmation, attachment security), and 3 expected to inhibit disclosure (self-disaffirmation, attachment insecurity, mortality salience). Israeli Jewish participants completed a survey including a manipulation of 1 of these states of mind, followed by questions concerning hostile thoughts and behaviors toward the Israeli Arab outgroup, past minor criminal behaviors, and socially undesirable traits and behaviors. Self-affirmation led to more disclosures of all undesirable behaviors than neutral priming, whereas self-disaffirmation led to less disclosures. Mortality salience led to fewer disclosures of socially undesirable and criminal behaviors compared to neutral priming, but more disclosures of hostile thoughts and behaviors toward Israeli Arabs. Security priming facilitated disclosure of hostile attitudes toward Israeli Arabs. However, neither security nor insecurity priming had any other significant effects.
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How to tame your BAS: Reward sensitivity and music involvement
Natalie Loxton et al.
Personality and Individual Differences, July 2016, Pages 35–39
Abstract:
High reward sensitivity is typically associated with negative outcomes such as addiction. However, this trait has been recently linked with purposeful approach behaviours that are related to positive outcomes, such as hope and life satisfaction. The present study applied the revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (rRST) to the relationship between reward sensitivity (rBAS) and music involvement. The tendency to be absorbed by music and the tendency to experience a positive emotional response to music were tested as potential mediators of the association. An international online survey of adults (N = 378; 65% females; Mage = 34 years) incorporated questionnaires assessing rBAS, involvement with music, absorption, and affective response to music. Consistent with rRST, those high in reward sensitivity were more likely to be involved in music and have stronger positive responses to music. Bootstrapped tests of indirect effects found the relationship between rBAS and music involvement to be uniquely mediated by greater absorption in music. This study further supports the argument that high levels of reward sensitivity may be involved in both functional and dysfunctional behaviours. Engagement in musical activities may be a useful approach to assist in the directing of behaviour in highly reward sensitive individuals.