A Self‐Regulatory Model of Resource Scarcity

Academics have shown a growing interest in the effects of resource scarcity—a discrepancy between one's current resource levels and a higher, more desirable reference point. However, the existing literature lacks an overarching theory to explain the breadth of findings across different types of resources. To address this, we introduce a self‐regulatory model of resource scarcity. In it, we propose that consumers respond to resource scarcity through two distinct psychological pathways: a scarcity‐reduction route aimed at reducing the discrepancy in resources and a control‐restoration route aimed at reestablishing diminished personal control by attaining security in other domains. We explain how a key determinant of which route the consumer will pursue is the perceived mutability of the resource discrepancy. We also specify moderators, based on our proposed model, to identify when each of the two routes is pursued. This model is assessed in the context of alternative theoretical perspectives, including commodity theory, life history theory, and models of compensatory behavior. Finally, we provide a research agenda for those interested in studying the psychology of resource scarcity from a self‐regulatory perspective.     

Multiple routes to mind wandering: Predicting mind wandering with resource theories

Three experiments examine individual (attentional capacity) and task-related characteristics leading to mind wandering, and the effect of mind wandering on task performance. Drawing on resource theories, we tested interactive nonlinear effects of these predictors, manipulating task demand using math tests of varying difficulty (Exp 1: N = 143, three levels between-subjects; Exp 2: N = 59, three levels within-subjects; Exp 3: N = 133, four levels within-subjects). Results confirmed that mind wandering was most frequent during extreme task demand levels, although the effect varied somewhat between experiments. Additionally, results from Experiment 3 and an integrated analysis demonstrated that people with relatively higher attentional capacity were less likely to mind wander as task demand increased. Moreover, mind wandering was more detrimental to performance as task demand increased across all experiments. Our findings build on past research by demonstrating the importance of accounting for interactions and nonlinear effects of task demand and attentional capacity in mind wandering research.     

心理贫困：概念、表现及其干预

长期物质贫困产生特殊的心理后果——心理贫困。心理贫困指的是不利于贫困阶层摆脱贫困的心理与行为模式,主要表现为 “志向失灵”与“行为失灵”,即抱负与志向缺位,理念和意识扭曲,能力与行为方式错位,还易于做出不利于脱贫的决策行为;长此以往,就陷入“贫穷—特定心理与行为模式—继续贫穷”的恶性循环。对此,研究者们先后开发了有条件现金转移项目、减少认知资源损耗项目、“转移和坚持”心理干预策略、社会阶层流动信念干预策略、公平感提升策略等干预方案。该领域研究及其相关成果对“精准”扶贫,促进社会公平、增加人类福祉具有重要意义。未来研究应在整合的干预方案和本土化的干预方案等方面予以加强。     

外部环境资源短缺对员工薪酬奖励偏好的影响与机制

以往关于时间与金钱奖励选择问题的探讨主要从员工工龄视角着手。但这一视角不能直接解释外部环境资源短缺时, 员工对时间与金钱奖励选择偏好的差异问题。本文依据生命史理论, 探讨外部环境资源(如就业资源和自然资源)短缺与否对员工选择时间和金钱奖励偏好的影响及内在机制。本文以即将步入职场的大学生和企业员工为样本, 发现不管是外在就业资源短缺还是外在自然资源短缺都会促使员工更加偏好金钱而非时间奖励, 内在机制是外部环境资源短缺时人们的心理表征更具体, 并且这一现象在高物质主义者身上更为明显(实验1和2)。本文结尾讨论了对资源短缺、时间和金钱等研究领域的理论突破与推进。     

The effect of evolving resource synergy beliefs on the intentions–behavior discrepancy in ethical consumption

Consumers are less likely to buy ethical products than their stated intentions in marketplace polls, due at least in part to the distinct temporal frames guiding their poll responses versus actual purchase decisions. We propose that as consumers' beliefs about the synergy between the resources a firm devotes to their ethical and functional attributes evolve, as part of the broader ethical marketing/corporate social responsibility movement, from negative to positive, this discrepancy between intentions and behavior is likely to disappear. Two studies provide support for this basic contention, implicating the importance consumers ascribe to a brand's ethical attribute as the driver of the temporal frame- and resource synergy beliefs-based differences in their preference for that brand.     

Personhood: Elusive But Not Illusory

Bioethics as a field has been fortunate that its values and concerns have mirrored the values and concerns of society. In light of the September 11th attacks, it is possible that we are witnessing the beginning of a transition in American culture, one fraught with implications for bioethics. The emphasis on autonomy and individual rights may come to be tempered by greater concern over the collective good. Increased emphasis on solidarity over autonomy could greatly alter public response to research abuses aimed at defense from bioterrorism, to privacy of genetic information, and to control of private medical resources to protect the public health.     

Cognitive performance is improved while walking: Differences in cognitive–sensorimotor couplings between children and young adults

We investigated how 9-year-olds and young adults performed a working memory task under different difficulty conditions while walking on a treadmill. Stride-length and stride-time variability tended to decrease with cognitive load in young adults, whereas children showed an increase in walking variability when cognitive load was very high. Participants in both age groups improved their cognitive performance when walking at their preferred speed as opposed to sitting or walking at a fixed, non-preferred speed. We conclude that the interaction of walking and cognitive performance is influenced by sharing resources between two tasks, and that performance improvements in cognition may be caused by an exercise-induced activation of resources.     

Memory and comprehension for health information among older adults: Distinguishing the effects of domain-general and domain-specific knowledge

While there is evidence that knowledge influences understanding of health information, less is known about the processing mechanisms underlying this effect and its impact on memory. We used the moving window paradigm to examine how older adults varying in domain-general crystallised ability (verbal ability) and health knowledge allocate attention to understand health and domain-general texts. Participants (n = 107, age: 60–88 years) read and recalled single sentences about hypertension and about non-health topics. Mixed-effects modelling of word-by-word reading times suggested that domain-general crystallised ability increased conceptual integration regardless of text domain, while health knowledge selectively increased resource allocation to conceptual integration at clause boundaries in health texts. These patterns of attentional allocation were related to subsequent recall performance. Although older adults with lower levels of crystallised ability were less likely to engage in integrative processing, when they did, this strategy had a compensatory effect in improving recall. These findings suggest that semantic integration during reading is an important comprehension process that supports the construction of the memory representation and is engendered by knowledge. Implications of the findings for theories of text processing and memory as well as for designing patient education materials are discussed.     

Dynamics of the relationships among work and family resource gain and loss,enrichment, and conflict over time

Dynamics of the relationships among work and family resource gain and loss, work-to-family enrichment (WFE), and work-to-family conflict (WFC) over time were examined using the data collected from 382 employees of Chinese firms at two points of time one year apart. Work resource gain at time 1 weakened the positive relationship between WFC at times 1 and 2, and work resource loss at time 1 weakened the positive relationship between WFE at times 1 and 2. However, WFC at time 1 strengthened the positive relationship between work resource gain at time 1 and family resource gain at time 2. Overall, these results suggest the existence of complementary forces that maintain the status quo of individuals' work–family experiences, such that high losses diminish the transfer of gains and high gains diminish the transfer of losses, but also that unexpected gains may result from individuals having to deal with painful situations. Implications of these dynamics for theory, research, and practice are discussed.     

Creative production by angry people peaks early on, decreases over time, and is relatively unstructured

Anecdotes and introspective reports from eminent scientists and artists aside, a systematic test of the putative creativity-enhancing effect of anger is missing. This article fills this void with three experiments examining creativity as a function of anger (vs. sad or a mood-neutral control state). Combining insights from the literatures on creativity and on mood and information processing the authors predicted that anger (vs. sadness and a mood-neutral control state) triggers a less systematic and structured approach to the creativity task, and leads to initially higher levels of creativity (as manifested in original ideation and creative insights). Following work on resource depletion, the authors further predicted that anger more than sadness depletes resources and that, therefore, creative performance should decline over time more for angry than for sad people. Results supported predictions. Implications for creativity, information processing, and resource depletion are discussed.