When the needs for affiliation and intimacy are frustrated: Envy and indirect aggression among German and Cameroonian adults

This article tests the hypothesis that a lack of experiences of relatedness is linked to negative outcomes such as envy and indirect aggression in particular if individuals are characterized by a high implicit affiliation-intimacy motive. Assumptions were examined in a sample of 273 adults from Germany and Cameroon. Components of the affiliation-intimacy motive, i.e., needs for affiliation and intimacy, were assessed with a picture story exercise. Additionally, participants reported on experiences of relatedness, indirect aggression, and envy. Low experiences of relatedness are associated with enhanced levels of envy and indirect aggression among individuals with a pronounced implicit affiliation-intimacy motive. Those effects hold true across cultural groups. Findings point to the prominent role of the implicit affiliation-intimacy motive for interpersonal emotions and behavior.     

“追名弃利”：权力动机与社会存在对亲社会行为的影响

目前关于权力动机的研究主要关注权力动机的阴暗面, 但是对权力动机的积极面尚不清楚。本研究从公平与合作行为的角度出发, 分别采用最后通牒博弈和公共物品博弈任务, 探讨不同权力动机水平个体在内隐(眼睛线索)或外显(他人在场)社会存在下的亲社会行为是否不同。结果发现, 在眼睛线索或他人在场条件下, 相对于低权力动机者, 高权力动机者表现出更高的公平与合作水平。然而当没有社会存在线索时, 高低权力动机者的亲社会行为没有显著差异。结果提示高权力动机者出于名誉和地位的策略考虑, 也会表现出积极的亲社会行为。     

A high implicit affiliation motive does not always make you happy: A corresponding explicit motive and corresponding behavior are further needed

Satisfaction of the implicit affiliation motive is known to be positively related to emotional well-being, whereas the frustration of the implicit affiliation motive leads to impairment of well-being. In the present research we specified two conditions that are responsible for the satisfaction and frustration of the implicit motive. Referring to research on the congruence of implicit and explicit motives, we assumed that a corresponding explicit affiliation motive leads to satisfaction of the implicit motive. Corresponding affiliation behavior constitutes the second condition. Three studies confirmed the hypothesis that both conditions must be fulfilled in order to positively connect the implicit affiliation motive to emotional well-being. Participants with high implicit and explicit affiliation motives and who additionally showed a large amount of affiliation behavior reported the lowest negative affectivity and the highest life satisfaction compared to participants who lacked one of the conditions.

Color blend retrievals: Compromise memories or deliberate compromise responses?

A total of 978 subjects, in two experiments and two pilot studies, were asked to recognize the color of objects to which they had been exposed in a slide presentation. Taken together, the studies demonstrate that an object’s typical coloration influences recognitions, resulting in retrievals that compromise or blend the actual color and the typical color. In addition, Experiment 2 suggests that color recognitions may be simultaneously influenced by typical knowledge, event information, and postevent information. The findings question the adequacy of both the deliberate compromise and the compromise memory hypotheses as accounts for color blend retrievals. The deliberate compromise hypothesis fails to account for evidence that blend retrievals result because an intact representation of an event is not available at the time of test. The compromise memory hypothesis fails to account for evidence that deliberative processes do occur, and is in need of further exposition given that blend retrievals may be the result of different processes when resulting from typical knowledge and from postevent information. In conclusion, neither hypothesis, in isolation, is able to account for the various possible processes that appear responsible for blend retrievals.     

Do implicit motives and basic psychological needs interact to predict well-being and flow? Testing a universal hypothesis and a matching hypothesis

Self-Determination Theory (Deci and Ryan in Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum Press, New York, 1985) suggests that certain experiences, such as competence, are equally beneficial to everyone’s well-being (universal hypothesis), whereas Motive Disposition Theory (McClelland in Human motivation. Scott, Foresman, Glenview, IL, 1985) predicts that some people, such as those with a high achievement motive, should benefit particularly from such experiences (matching hypothesis). Existing research on motives as moderators of the relationship between basic need satisfaction and positive outcomes supports both these seemingly inconsistent views. Focusing on the achievement motive, we sought to resolve this inconsistency by considering the specificity of the outcome variables. When predicting domain-specific well-being and flow, the achievement motive should interact with felt competence. However, when it comes to predicting general well-being and flow, felt competence should unfold its effects without being moderated by the achievement motive. Two studies confirmed these assumptions indicating that the universal and matching hypotheses are complementary rather than mutually exclusive.     

公共资源两难管理的社会学习过程和动机释放机制

公共资源两难的根本问题是个人经济利益与社会整体利益的矛盾。一些人为了追逐个人利益最大,过度获取公共资源,走向＂公共的悲剧＂,或不愿为公共资源作出贡献,＂搭便车＂现象流行。传统的研究从理性经济人的角度探讨公共资源两难博弈行为的机制,用＂贪婪＂来解释＂搭便车＂现象,并根据强化理论以奖励和惩罚作为主要对策。但是,这种理性经济人观点忽视了人的社会动机。实际上,公共资源两难博弈是一个社会互动的过程,人的社会心理因素在其中起了很重要的作用,因此在方法论上有必要从社会人（Homo socius）的人性观来进行分析。本文在当前的相关研究文献基础上,分析了公共资源两难博弈行为的动机模式,从社会学习理论出发,提出了公共资源两难管理的社会学习过程和动机释放机制。     

Explicit and implicit affiliation motives predict verbal and nonverbal social behavior in sports competition

ObjectivesThe present study investigated the predictive value of the explicit and implicit affiliation motive for social behavior in sport competitions. From an information processing perspective, an explicit motive is linked to verbal cues and respondent behavior. The implicit motive in turn is linked to nonverbal stimuli and operant behavior (McClelland, Koestner, & Weinberger, 1989; Schultheiss, 2008). Both respondent affiliative behavior (e.g., verbal interactions with teammates) and operant nonverbal social behavior (e.g., pleasant to opponents) can be observed in racquet sports team competitions.Design & MethodsFifty-two male racquet sportsmen completed the Personality Research Form (explicit affiliation motive) and the Operant Motive Test (implicit affiliation motive). Motive measures were used to predict social behavior during competitions using multiple regression analyses. To this aim real competitive matches were videotaped and analyzed.ResultsResults show that the explicit affiliation motive is associated with time spent in verbal team contact. The implicit affiliation motive, by contrast, is linked to pleasant nonverbal behavior shown toward opponents.ConclusionsFindings suggest that implicit and explicit affiliation motives predict different kinds of social behavior in sports competition respectively. Indirect motive measures may be of additional predictive value for different behavior in real sports settings.     

The essentialist aspect of naive theories

Recent work on children's inferences concerning biological and chemical categories has suggested that children (and perhaps adults) are essentialists - a view known as psychological essentialism. I distinguish three varieties of psychological essentialism and investigate the ways in which essentialism explains the inferences for which it is supposed to account. Essentialism succeeds in explaining the inferences, I argue, because it attributes to the child belief in causal laws connecting category membership and the possession of certain characteristic appearances and behavior. This suggests that the data will be equally well explained by a non-essentialist hypothesis that attributes belief in the appropriate causal laws to the child, but makes no claim as to whether or not the child represents essences. I provide several reasons to think that this non-essentialist hypothesis is in fact superior to any version of the essentialist hypothesis.     

When can feedback-seeking behavior result in a better performance rating? Investigating the moderating role of political skill

Feedback-seeking behavior is generally used to acquire job-related information that enables performance improvement. However, it can also be a form of impression management that improves an employee’s reputation. In this study, we show that employees who hold an image enhancement motive are more likely to seek feedback from their supervisors. Further, this feedback-seeking behavior mediates the relationship between the image enhancement motive and task performance ratings, consistent with the self-concept enhancing tactician (SCENT) model. However, we additionally incorporate socioanalytic theory to demonstrate that this indirect effect is moderated: the image enhancement motive translates into greater feedback-seeking behavior and task performance ratings only for employees with high political skill, who are capable of acting on their image enhancement motive successfully.     

Career Compromise and Adjustment Among Graduates in the Banking Industry

A study is reported which aimed to examine several factors associated with career compromise and adjustment among 100 graduates in a bank. Contrary to predictions derived from Gottfredson's theory, satisfaction with the sextype of their jobs did not relate to perceptions of compromise; satisfaction with prestige explained some unique variance in compromise perceptions, but satisfaction with outlets for interests and use of skills and abilities were more important. Case data were used to explore other factors involved in the perception of career compromise. Qualitative data collected in the interviews with graduates highlighted several ways in which employers, graduates and career advisers can ease the transition from university to work.     

求偶动机的心理效应

演化心理学认为人类的心理机能受到演化压力的塑造,性选择作为重要的演化动力因素,在人类心理机能的形成过程中扮演着重要角色。与性选择密切相连的求偶动机可以影响包括注意、知觉、记忆、决策及社会行为在内的一系列心理现象和行为,但求偶动机操控方法的混乱及研究过程中对文化和层级选择的忽视制约了这一领域工作的开展。进一步深化相关研究,以行为数据为基础,从神经、激素和基因层面建构立体的研究框架对于揭示背后机制有着重要作用。     

Motivating and deterring factors for two common traffic-rule violations of cyclists in Germany

Cyclists have a rather high risk of being injured in traffic accidents compared to motor vehicle occupants. Contributing factors leading to these crashes still need to be properly understood.Two online surveys were conducted concerning reasons, motives and likelihood for two common violations: riding on the wrong path (N = 198) and cycling without light in the dark (N = 755). Motivations for the infringements were examined by multiple linear regression models, including variables derived from the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) and deterrence factors as predictors of the intention to infringe.Results show that reported motives for the violations differ. For cycling on the wrong cycling path, 55% of variance could be explained. The most influential motive was a positive attitude towards the infringement. Twenty-nine percent of variance could be explained by the model for cycling without light in the dark. Subjective norms and assumed deterrence factors were found to have very little influence on intended violations in both surveys. Participants’ rule-knowledge was found to be generally low. Participants reported perceived regulative discrimination and technical hurdles to hinder rule-compliant behavior. Overall, the findings suggest that a more comprehensive, educational approach is required to manage cyclists’ behavior.     

Effects of Inferred Motive on Evaluations of Nonaccommodative Communication

In two studies, we propose, refine, and test a new model of inferred motive predicting of individuals' reactions to nonaccommodation, defined as communicative behavior that is inappropriately adjusted for participants in an interaction. Inferring a negative motive for others' problematic behavior resulted in significantly less positive evaluations of both the interaction and the speaker than inferring either a positive motive or a lack of intentionality. It was also found that underaccommodation is consistently evaluated less positively than overaccommodation, likely due to inferred motive. In light of this, important amendments to communication accommodation theory's principles are suggested, and implications for future research are discussed.     

Motivational sources of confirmation bias in criminal investigations: the need for cognitive closure

In two experiments, criminal investigators (N = 50) and undergraduate students (N = 68) read a set of facts from the preliminary investigation of a homicide case. Participants' initial hypothesis regarding the crime was manipulated by providing background information implying that the prime suspect had a jealousy motive or that there might be an alternative perpetrator. Students displayed a framing effect, such that guilt was ascribed to the prime suspect only when a potential motive was presented, whereas investigators did so regardless of hypothesis, thus being less sensitive to alternative interpretations. Investigators' need for cognitive closure (NFC) moderated the effect of the hypothesis on perceptions of the strength of the evidence against the prime suspect; high (v low) NFC investigators were less likely to acknowledge inconsistencies in the material when presented with a potential motive, but were more likely to do so when made aware of the possibility of an alternative perpetrator. Interpretations are somewhat clouded by the fact that dispositional NFC did not seem to affect in a consistent manner participants' motivation toward the experimental task. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

No skin off my back: retribution deficits in psychopathic motives for punishment

When deciding a criminal's punishment, people typically exhibit both retributive and consequentialist motives in their decision making, though retribution's role may be stronger. This study aimed to discern possible functions of retribution by examining a population predicted to be deficient in retributive drive. Participants who rated either high or low in psychopathic traits read stories about a homicide. These stories were designed to evoke both retribution and the consequentialist motive of behavior control by varying, respectively, criminal intent and likelihood of recidivism. The participants then recommended a length of confinement for the offender. Individuals high in psychopathic traits were uniquely insensitive to retributive cues, and they were particularly consequentialist in their punishment of criminal offenders. These results clarify aspects of psychopathic aggression and corroborate the hypothesis that retribution may stabilize cooperative behavior.     

On the utility of looking in the “wrong” direction1

In his reply to Lamiell, Foss, and Cavenee (1980), Shweder (1980) fails to address an important question: Did the behavior report task used by Lamiell et al. meet his requirements for a “diffieult memory condition,” or did it not? In light of the nature of the illusory correlation hypothesis and Lamiell et al.'s findings, it is explained that for any of three possible answers to this question (yes, no, or maybe) the integrity of the illusory correlation hypothesis in its present form is compromised. It is also explained that further research on the hypothesis is likely to be pointless, because Lamiell et al.'s findings suggest that it is not salvageable in any form. Finally, it is explained that the incompatibility between lay persons' usage of personality concepts and the study of individual differences does not lead inextricably to the conclusion that the former have no legitimate role to play in a science of personality.     

A mediational model of power, affiliation and achievement motives and product involvement

A model based on McClelland's theory of human motivation was proposed in which motive incentives mediated the relationship between motive level (n Power, n Affiliation and n Achievement) and product involvement. This hypothesis was tested with 142 college students. Results indicate that power motive incentives successfully mediated the relationship between power motive level and product involvement for the expensive car and interview clothing conditions. Affiliation motive incentives mediated the relationship between affiliation motive level and involvement for greeting cards but not gifts. The two achievement products (scientific calculator and computer manual) failed to meet most of the criteria for mediation.Laura Schmidt is a psychology doctoral student and Irene Frieze is a professor of psychology and business administration at the University of Pittsburgh. This paper was based on the Master's thesis of the first author.We would like to thank S. Golin and Audrey Murrell for their helpful suggestions on this project.     

Assessing the validity of the achievement motive in the presence of random measurement error

The presence of random measurement error in indicators of theoretical constructs biases observed estimates of relations among those constructs. Correcting for this bias is particularly important when random measurement error is substantial, or is substantially different for indicators of distinct constructs included in a theoretical model. Validity assessment in the case of thematic apperceptive measures of the achievement motive (TAT n Achievement) has been vulnerable to interpretive errors because these indicators of the achievement motive are typically much less reliable than indicators of other constructs to which the motive may be related, and no correction has been made for the bias introduced by such differential measurement error. Here we illustrate a causal modeling approach to validity assessment for TAT n Achievement that incorporates explicit true-score measurement models of theoretical constructs. We confirm the hypothesis that the achievement motive construct is positively related to work satisfaction in a representative sample of adult males in the United States, taken in 1976 (N = 413). Evidence for the discriminant validity of story content versus story length, an issue raised in the literature on the TAT, is also presented in this nomological network.     

Type a Coronary-Prone behavior pattern and fear of failure

An experiment was conducted to examine the fear-of-failure orientation among individuals who exhibit a behavior pattern known as Type A Coronary-Prone behavior. The results indicate a tendency for Type A's (high coronary risks) to have a self-defensive motive of failure avoidance. It is suggested that fear of failure may be an explanation for the lack of symptom reporting previously observed in Type A's.     

Comment on Levine's blank trial method: A procedure for estimating true hypothesis behavior

When Levine's method of blank trial probes is used to study hypothesis behavior the probability that a probe results in a cue-defined choice combination usually lies between .70 and .90, depending upon the age group and the treatment conditions. It may not be safe to assume that each such combination signifies an hypothesis. A procedure for estimating the probability of true hypothesis behavior is presented, including a validity test for the resulting estimate. The procedure is applied to data taken from three research reports, and reveals substantial differences between age and treatment groups. Implications of the procedure for correctly interpreting empirical results are discussed.