Can Self‐Determination Theory Explain the Self‐Perpetuation of Social Innovations? A Case Study of Slow Food at the University of Wisconsin—Madison

This case study of Slow Food at the University of Wisconsin—Madison (SFUW) examines the success of a volunteer social innovation that promotes sustainable food access. Using inductive thematic analysis of 19 in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews of past and current members, advisors, and collaborators, we find that the success of SFUW is consistent with Self‐Determination Theory. We find that among the participants, the organization satisfies the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which in turn support intrinsic motivation. In this way, volunteering tasks become interesting, fun, and are more likely to be performed over time. The findings suggest that needs fulfillment and intrinsic motivation are linked to creating a self‐propagating social innovation where volunteers generate new ideas and successfully transfer skills to others. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coping as a building mechanism to explain the unique association of affect and goal motivation with changes in affective states

Background and objectives: In this study, we examined the mediating role of university students’ coping strategies in the unique/additive influence of affective states and goal motivation on upward changes in affect during a midterm exam period. Design: Using a short-term prospective design, key assumptions from the self-concordance model and the broaden-and-build theory were drawn upon to determine whether coping strategies are influenced by goal motivation and affective states, while also subsequently influencing short-term changes in affective states during a semester. Method: A sample of 272 students (79% females and 21% males) participated in a study in which they completed questionnaires twice during the semester. Results: Results of structural equation modeling, using a true latent change approach, have generally supported our hypotheses. Positive affective states and autonomous goal motivation prospectively predicted task-oriented coping which, in turn, was associated with increases in positive affect. Negative affective states and controlled goal motivation prospectively predicted disengagement-oriented coping which, in turn, was associated with increases in negative affect. Conclusion: Coping partially mediates the unique association of affect and goal motivation with changes in affective states of university students.     

Episode-specific drinking-to-cope motivation and next-day stress-reactivity

Background: Research consistently shows drinking-to-cope (DTC) motivation is uniquely associated with drinking-related problems. We furthered this line of research by examining whether DTC motivation is predictive of processes indicative of poor emotion regulation. Specifically, we tested whether nighttime levels of episode-specific DTC motivation, controlling for drinking level, were associated with intensified affective reactions to stress the following day (i.e. stress-reactivity). Design and Methods: We used a micro-longitudinal design to test this hypothesis in two college student samples from demographically distinct institutions: a large, rural state university (N?=?1421; 54% female) and an urban historically Black college/university (N?=?452; 59% female). Results: In both samples the within-person association between daily stress and negative affect on days following drinking episodes was stronger in the positive direction when previous night's drinking was characterized by relatively higher levels of DTC motivation. We also found evidence among students at the state university that average levels of DTC motivation moderated the daily stress-negative affect association. Conclusions: Findings are consistent with the notion that DTC motivation confers a unique vulnerability that affects processes associated with emotion regulation.     

Apathy is associated with lower mental and physical quality of life in persons infected with HIV

HIV infection is associated with lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which is influenced by immunovirological factors, negative affect, neurocognitive impairment, and functional dependence. Although apathy is a common neuropsychiatric sequela of HIV infection, emerging findings regarding its unique role in lower HRQoL have been mixed. The present study was guided by Wilson and Cleary's (1995), model in examining the association between apathy and physical and mental HRQoL in 80 HIV+ individuals who completed a neuromedical examination, neuropsychological assessment, structured psychiatric interview, and a series of questionnaires including the SF-36. Apathy was measured using a composite of the apathy subscale of the Frontal Systems Behavioral Scale and the vigor-activation subscale of the Profile of Mood States. Independent of major depressive disorder, neurocognitive impairment, functional status, and current CD4 count, apathy was strongly associated with HRQoL. Specifically, apathy and CD4 count were significant predictors of physical HRQoL, whereas apathy and depression were the only predictors of mental HRQoL. All told, these findings suggest that apathy plays a unique role in HRQoL and support the importance of assessing and managing apathy in an effort to maximize health outcomes among individuals with HIV disease.     

Applying Western models of volunteering in Hong Kong: The role of empathy,prosocial motivation and motive–experience fit for volunteering

The present research investigates the applicability of prominent Western volunteering frameworks in Hong Kong. Two cross‐sectional surveys involving a total of 268 respondents were conducted. In Study 1, we tested a model of volunteering among 149 Hong Kong Chinese adult individuals (M_age = 34.8 years; 51.7% female) that examines antecedents and outcomes of voluntary engagement. Results show that prosocial motivation relates to volunteering, and that volunteering in turn predicts life satisfaction. Unexpectedly, and unlike studies in Western settings, other‐oriented empathy was not related to volunteering. Study 2 tests the propositions of the Volunteer Process Model (VPM) among 119 Hong Kong Chinese volunteers (M_age = 36.9 years; 58.0% female). Findings largely support the VPM: our results indicate that the link between motives, voluntary service length and frequency is mediated by satisfaction with volunteering. Moreover, findings suggest that a fit between motives and experience seems relevant for increasing volunteers' satisfaction with their service. Results of both studies suggest that Western volunteering models can be applied to volunteering in East Asian cultures when culture‐specific adaptations are considered.     

Investing in the real me: Preference for experiential to material purchases driven by the motivation to search for true self-knowledge

One mechanism underlying the hedonic benefits of experiential purchases is that one’s core self is more centrally reflected in experiential purchases. However, little is known about whether people consume experiential purchases as a means of discovering their true self. The present research explored the possibility that people value experiential purchases as a potential tool for understanding their true self. Consistent with the hypothesis, Study 1 demonstrated that experiential purchases were perceived to be a more valuable source of gaining knowledge about one’s true self compared to material purchases. Using correlational methods, Study 2 found that the motivation to search for true self-knowledge positively predicted preference for experiential purchases over material purchases. Finally, Study 3 showed a causal effect of motivation to search for true self-knowledge on a tendency to prefer experiential purchases to material purchases. Implications and future directions for well-being research and marketing are discussed.     

Cue-elicited food seeking is eliminated with aversive outcomes following outcome devaluation

In outcome-selective Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT), stimuli that are predictive of specific outcomes prime instrumental responses that are associated with these outcomes. Previous human studies yielded mixed evidence in respect to whether the PIT effect is affected by a posttraining devaluation of an outcome, with the PIT effect being preserved after a devaluation of a primary reinforcer (food, drugs) but not following the devaluation of a secondary reinforcer (money). The present research examined whether outcome-selective transfer is eliminated when the devaluation of a primary (liquid) reinforcer is strong and aversive. Experiment 1 confirmed these expectations following a devaluation with bad tasting Tween 20. However, outcome-selective transfer was still observed when the earned (devalued) outcome was not consumed immediately after each test (Experiment 2). These results suggest that the capacity of a Pavlovian cue to motivate a specific response is affected by the incentive value of the shared outcome only when the devaluation yields an aversive outcome that is consumed immediately.     

社会压力与决策角色对不同人际敏感性个体助人决策的影响

本研究基于人格的交互作用理论,通过时间与金钱两种助人决策情景,设计两个实验考察了人际敏感性特质对个体助人决策的影响,以及决策角色与社会压力两种情境因素在其中的作用。结果发现：(1)相比低人际敏感性,高人际敏感性个体更容易做出助人决策;(2)相比低社会压力,高社会压力下,高人际敏感性比低人际敏感性个体捐助的金钱更多; (3)高社会压力下,相比低人际敏感性个体,高人际敏感性个体为朋友与陌生人决策时会捐助更多的金钱。研究表明：人际敏感性影响个体的助人决策,决策角色与社会压力会对不同人际敏感性个体的助人决策有不同程度的影响。     

前瞻记忆类型差异及动机与任务序列对前瞻记忆的影响*

本文采用“模拟星期”范式通过3个实验分别考察了前瞻记忆任务类型的差异以及动机与任务序列对前瞻记忆的影响。结果表明：(1)规律性前瞻记忆任务的正确率显著高于非规律性的,即使本研究条件下对非规律性前瞻记忆任务进行奖励与惩罚,仍没有消除两者间的差异。(2)不论是惩罚还是奖励都可以显著提高非规律性前瞻记忆的成绩,而且动机促进作用会蔓延至非直接强化的前瞻记忆任务。(3)固定序列前瞻记忆成绩显著优于随机序列的,且在实验过程中固定序列前瞻记忆的成绩呈上升趋势,而随机序列的基本不变,固定序列在一定程度上反映了行为习惯的建立过程。(4)不论前瞻记忆任务规律与否,惩罚或奖励,任务序列如何,基于时间的前瞻记忆成绩均优于基于事件的前瞻记忆的成绩。(5)时间确认任务中,被试翻看时钟的次数与其正确率间呈显著正相关,且越临近规定时间翻看次数越多,呈J型分布。     

The Effects of Extrinsic Motivation on Scientific and Artistic Creativity among Middle School Students

The present study tested the effects of extrinsic motivation on scientific and artistic creativity among Chinese middle school students. In Study 1, a between-groups design was applied to examine the effects of expected rewards on scientific and artistic creativity among 123 students, and in Study 2 the same design was applied to examine the effects of expected evaluation from different raters on scientific and artistic creativity among 120 students. We also considered the effects of grade and gender in both studies. The results of Study 1 indicated that expected material reward had significant negative effects on scientific creativity for 7th graders, while expected social reward had significant positive effects on scientific creativity for 8th graders, and both expected material and social rewards had significant positive effects on artistic creativity. The results of Study 2 indicated that expected evaluation from teachers and classmates had significant negative effects on scientific creativity and significant positive effects on artistic creativity. These results suggest that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the effects of extrinsic motivation and creativity, Factors such as culture, type of extrinsic motivation, grade, and domains of creativity must be fully considered when cultivating adolescents’ creativity.