Goal-striving and the implementation of goal intentions in the regulation of body weight

Abstract

The enactment of relatively easy-to-implement and relatively difficult-to-implement goal intentions was investigated in a field study of body weight maintenance for 141 university students. Three appraisal processes were examined as mechanisms for implementing intentions: self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and affect towards means. The results showed that goal-directed dieting behaviours for men and women and goal-directed exercising/sport activities for men were influenced by the appraisals in a linear compensatory manner, and goal-directed exercising/sport activities for women were influenced by the appraisals via a three-way interaction. Self-efficacy, in particular, was a strong, pervasive determinant of both dieting and exercising/sport activities for men and women.     

社会自我效能感的结构、测量及其作用机制

班杜拉的自我效能理论一直是当代心理学的热点话题。作为社交情境中的特殊自我效能感,社会自我效能感是能够影响个人人际互动质量的重要心理因素之一,因此也逐渐开始受到研究者的关注。通过对国内外理论文章与实证研究的分析发现,社会自我效能感与社交自尊、社交果敢性、社交信心等相关概念有所不同,是指个体对自己社交能力的主观信念;其内涵在不同文化自我或情境的视角下可能存在差异,具有多元结构的可能性。社会自我效能感与个人特质、情绪、态度及行为等变量相关,并能够显著预测抑郁、社交焦虑、生活满意度、社会适应等变量。此外,社会自我效能感也在外向、性别角色、依恋、目标定向、网络人际交往的影响机制中起到中介作用,且能够对压力和不公平感所造成的消极影响具有一定的缓冲作用。然而有关研究仍存在诸多问题与不足,未来研究应该关注社会自我效能感内涵与结构的确定、测量工具的开发,并加强对其影响因素与影响效应的探索、系统模型的构建和跨文化研究的扩展。     

大学生应对自我效能和学习倦怠的关系：基于主观幸福感的中介效应

采用应对自我效能量表、幸福感指数量表和大学生学习倦怠量表对6所高校的713名大学生进行调查,探讨大学生应对自我效能、主观幸福感和学习倦怠三者之间的关系。结果表明：大学生应对自我效能对其主观幸福感具有显著的正向影响作用,大学生主观幸福感对其学习倦怠具有显著的负向影响作用;大学生主观幸福感在应对自我效能和学习倦怠之间起完全中介作用。研究结果进一步揭示了大学生应对自我效能和对其学习倦怠的影响机制。     

Does feedback matter for job search self-regulation? It depends on feedback quality

Job search represents a dynamic process through which job seekers must consistently engage in effective self-regulation. Although scholars have increasingly begun to theorize and conceptualize the job search in this manner, little is known about what fosters effective self-regulation week-to-week. In light of this theoretical gap, we integrate self-regulation theory with the feedback literature to examine how feedback quality influences affective, cognitive, and behavioral regulatory processes in job search. Furthermore, we examine feedback self-efficacy (i.e., how efficacious a job seeker feels with respect to processing and implementing feedback received during the job search) as a stable, person-level moderator of these within-person relationships. In a sample of job seekers surveyed once a week for seven weeks, results indicate that receiving high-quality feedback has a direct influence on positive and negative affective reactions tied to the job search, influencing subsequent positive (i.e., metacognitive strategies) and negative (i.e., affective rumination) cognitive processes. Metacognitive strategies, in turn, impact both the number of résumés sent and hours spent job seeking each week. Moreover, lower feedback self-efficacy amplifies the relationship between feedback quality and negative affective reactions. Our results highlight the importance of high-quality feedback in helping job seekers effectively regulate week-to-week.     

Solving problems or seeing troubles? A day-level study on the consequences of thinking about work on recovery and well-being,and the moderating role of self-regulation

This study examined, using a within-person design, how fluctuations in work-related affective rumination and problem-solving pondering are related to recovery and well-being (N = 171; 677 day-level data points over five consecutive work days). We hypothesized that trait self-regulation moderates the relationship between problem-solving during the evening and the state of being recovered at bedtime. We analyzed our data using a moderated multilevel mediation approach. The results showed that affective rumination during the evening was indirectly related to impaired well-being in the subsequent morning through its negative relationship with the state of being recovered at bedtime. Problem-solving was indirectly related to well-being in the subsequent morning through its relationship with the state of being recovered at bedtime. However, this indirect effect was moderated by trait self-regulation in a way that problem-solving pondering was positively related to the state of being recovered, and consequently, to improved well-being for employees higher in self-regulation, whereas it was negatively related to the state of being recovered, and consequently, to impaired well-being for those lower in self-regulation. These findings suggest that problem-solving pondering may be beneficial or unfavorable for recovery and well-being depending on the degree to which employees can regulate their cognitions and feelings.     

领导者的希望和自我效能感对其主观幸福感的影响

该研究采用问卷调查法,检验领导者的希望和自我效能感对其主观幸福感的影响作用。通过对来自重庆市各县、市、区政府机关、公检法和事业行政单位的237名领导者进行调查,将搜集的数据进行层次回归分析、中介效应检验和优势分析,结果显示：希望和自我效能感是领导者的主观幸福感的显著正向预测变量;自我效能感在领导者的希望与其主观幸福感之间有显著的完全中介作用;增强领导者的希望与自我效能感水平对提升领导者的主观幸福感有显著的促进作用。     

Optimism,goals, and threats: How to conceptualize self-regulatory processes in the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors

Abstract

How individuals control themselves and their health behaviors can be better understood by examining their self-beliefs in terms of threats and goals. The distinction between self-regulatory threat appraisals and self-regulatory goal attainment may help to explain when individuals fall prey to defensive optimism and when they are guided by functional optimism. To underscore the notion of process-specific self-beliefs, a further distinction is made between goal-setting self-efficacy, action self-efficacy, coping self-efficacy, and recovery self-efficacy.     

Social-Cognitive Factors in Changing Health-Related Behaviors

Changing health-related behaviors requires two separate processes that involve motivation and volition, respectively. First, an intention to change is developed, in part on the basis of self-beliefs. Second, the change must be planned, initiated, and maintained, and relapses must be managed; self-regulation plays a critical role in these processes. Social-cognition models of health behavior change address these two processes. One such model, the health action process approach, is explicitly based on the assumption that two distinct phases need to be studied longitudinally, one phase that leads to a behavioral intention and another that leads to the actual behavior. Particular social-cognitive variables may play different roles in the two stages; perceived self-efficacy is the only predictor that seems to be equally important in the two phases.     

The Effect of Psychological Skills Training (PST) on Self-Regulation Behavior,Self-Efficacy,and Psychological Skill Use in Military Pilot-Trainees

Set within B. J. Zimmerman’s (1989 Zimmerman, B. J. (1989). A social cognitive view of self-regulated academic learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 329–339.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], A social cognitive view of self-regulated academic learning, Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. 81, pp. 329–339; and B. J. Zimmerman, 2000 Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social–cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. Pintrich, &; M. Seidner (Eds.), Self-regulation: Theory, research, and applications (pp. 13–39). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar], Attaining self-regulation: A social-cognitive perspective, in M. Boekaerts, P. Pintrich, &; M. Seidner, Eds., Self-Regulation: Theory, Research, and Applications, pp. 13–39, Orlando, Florida, Academic Press) cyclical model of self-regulation and social–cognitive theory, this study tested the hypothesis that multi-modal psychological skills training (PST) would increase self-regulation behavior, self-efficacy, and psychological skill use in military pilot-trainees experiencing course-related learning difficulties. From pre- to post-intervention, findings showed that specific self-regulation behavior increased linearly. Likewise, significant increases in self-efficacy and psychological skill use occurred, along with concomitant reductions in anxiety and worry. Changes were generally retained at 2-month follow-up. PST highlights potential in modifying pilot-trainee cognitive and behavioral strategies to underpin learning, improve individual/cohort responsiveness, and importantly, cost effectiveness in training provision.     

Bridging the intention–behaviour gap: Planning,self-efficacy,and action control in the adoption and maintenance of physical exercise

Although some people may develop an intention to change their health behaviour, they might not take any action. This discrepancy has been labelled the “intention–behaviour gap.” Detailed action planning, perceived self-efficacy, and self-regulatory strategies (action control) may mediate between intentions and behaviour. This was examined in a longitudinal sample of 307 cardiac rehabilitation patients who were encouraged to adopt or maintain regular exercise. At the first time point, the predictors of intention and intention itself were assessed. Two months and four months later, the mediators and outcomes were measured. Results confirmed that all the three factors (planning, maintenance self-efficacy, and action control) served to mediate between earlier exercise intentions and later physical activity, each of them making a unique contribution. The results have implications for research on the “intention–behaviour gap,” and indicate that planning, maintenance self-efficacy and action control may be important volitional variables.     

Everyone can be a winner: The benefits of competing in organized races for recreational runners

ABSTRACT

Participants in the study were 404 recreational runners. At the end of each week for three months they used an online diary to describe their psychological well-being for the week (a total of 4046 weeks), and they indicated if they had participated in an organized race each week (a total of 1111 races). Multilevel modeling analyses (weeks nested within persons) found that well-being, defined in terms of self-esteem, self-efficacy, life satisfaction, positive affect, and depressed affect, was higher during weeks in which participants had run in an organized race than it was during weeks in which they had not run in an organized race. Moreover, well-being was positively related to self-evaluations of performance in races. For recreational runners, finishing an organized race may represent the achievement of a goal, an achievement that increases well-being and may help maintain or increase the motivation to keep running.     

From health beliefs to self-regulation: Theoretical advances in the psychology of action control

Abstract

The paper reviews the theoretical concepts included in a range of social cognitive models which have identified psychological antecedents of individual motivation and behaviour. Areas of correspondence are noted and core constructs (derived primarily from the theory of planned behaviour and social cognitive theory) are identified. The role of intention formation, self-efficacy beliefs, attitudes, normative beliefs and self-representations are highlighted and it is argued that these constructs provide a useful framework for modelling the psychological prerequisites of health behaviour. Acknowledging that intentions do not translate into action automatically, recent advances in our understanding of the ways in which prior planning and rehearsal can enhance individual control of action and facilitate the routinisation of behaviour are considered. The importance of engaging in preparatory behaviours for the achievement of many health goals is discussed and the processes by which goals are prioritised, including their links to self-representations, are explored. The implications of social cognitive and self-regulatory theories for the cognitive assessment of individual readiness for action and for intervention design in health-related settings are highlighted.     

目标定向、自我效能感与主观幸福感的关系

以207名企业员工为研究对象,探讨了目标定向、自我效能感与主观幸福感的关系及自我效能感在目标定向和主观幸福感之间的中介作用。结果表明:学习目标定向、工作自我效能感和社交自我效能感均对主观幸福感有着显著的正向影响;主观幸福感对任务绩效有着显著的正向影响;同时,工作自我效能感在学习目标定向和主观幸福感之间起着完全中介作用。