the effect of a specific versus nonspecific subconscious goal gary p. latham university of toronto...
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The Effect of a Specific Versus Nonspecific Subconscious Goal
Gary P. LathamUniversity of Toronto
Ronald F. PiccoloUniversity of Central Florida
Subconscious Priming Priming
Temporary subconscious activation of an individual’s mental representations
Researchers interested in priming examine the effect of this activation on various psychological phenomena
How can we prime the subconscious? Word Scramble Sentence Completion Storytelling (Reflection) Images
Subconscious Priming Programmatic research has emerged to examine
the effects of subconscious goals or intention on behaviors Prime Senior Citizens → Speed of walking/Memory (Bargh) Health → Food choice (Fishbach et al.) Achievement → Brainstorming (Stajkovich, Locke, & Blair) Accuracy; Speed → Performance (Stajkovich et al.) Achievement → Creativity (Shantz & Latham) Significance → Effort, Performance (Grant)
Primed goals consume minimal cognitive resources and allow additional cognitive activity to take place outside of awareness.
Some Limitations of Existing Research
Most studies conducted in an lab setting Dependent variables are of modest practical
relevance Research has been largely atheoretical Studies are a risk for experimenter or demand
bias
The Current Study (Call Center) A Field Experiment
Practically Relevant Dependent Variable: Pledged Donations
Professional Sample University Call Center Employees seeking pledged
donations Participants had No Contact with Researchers
Minimize Experimenter Bias Measured Number of Dials
Minimize Demand Effects Theoretical-derived Experimental Conditions
Task Specific (Goal Setting Theory; Locke & Latham) Achievement Motivation (McClelland)
Method 52 participants at a University Call Center
7.13 months of experience 7 were excluded due to attrition Assessment of Performance Pre- and Post-Intro of
Prime Time 1 = Two weeks before introduction of priming
material Time 2= At the end of the first experimental week Time 3 = Two weeks later (priming material still in place)
Three conditions (two experimental; one control) Task Specific Goal, n=15 General Achievement Goal, n=16 No Goal Control, n=14
Call Center Study
Race “Achievement”
Head Set “Job-specific”
Procedure & Analysis Callers
Were randomly assigned to one of three conditions Drew names from a shared University alumni database Sat in cubicles out of direct view of callers in other
conditions. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test
Examines differences between measures collected before and after an experimental manipulation Appropriate for data collected from small sample sizes
We compared scores on performance metrics for each participant across Times 1 and 2.
Ignoring the signs, we ranked the differences from smallest to largest in each condition; then summed the ranks associated with positive (Time 2>Time 1) and negative (Time 1 > Time 2) differences.
The smaller of the two group sums is the Wilcoxon test statistic, which is then converted to a Z-statistic that approximates a normal distribution.
Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, Time 1 vs. Time 2
Number of PledgesCondition n Negative Positive Ties Z
Headset Photo 15 2 11 2 -2.11*
Race Photo 16 5 11 0 -1.84†
Blank Sheet 14 5 7 2 -1.55Note. † p < .10. * p < .05 (two-tailed).
Call Center Study Results, Average Pledges
Introduction of Prime
Conclusions Participants with Task Specific (p<.05) and
Achievement Goals (p<.10) improved significantly Upon using the fact sheet with the task specific or
achivement photograph, callers earned more pledge
Participants with No Goal did not significantly improve
It appears: The Effect of the Task Specific Goal lasted longer than the Achievement Goal (Significant Drop for Achievement Goal from Time 2 to Time 3).
Post hoc Test of Awareness Consistent with Bargh et al. (1996), we conducted a
study to assess awareness of the subconscious prime.
113 undergraduate students were asked to examine material used in the University’s fundraising effort.
Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, asked to evaluate the fact sheets, and completed an awareness funnel debriefing questionnaire What’s the purpose of the fact sheet? Do you notice anything unusual? Do you suspect that the purpose of the experiment be
different than was explained? Are you familiar with the expression “subconscious
priming?”
Awareness The purpose of the fact sheet:
“provide useful information” “show examples of program accomplishment” “help sell the college” “help raise funds” “report success to potential donors”
Nine of 36 participants in race condition noted that the photo was unrelated to the University or to fundraising.
Of 119, only 15 expressed familiarity with subconscious priming (5 of which offered an incorrect description).
Conclusion: Participants were not aware of the intent of the subconscious goal
Limitations Low Power
Small Sample Sizes in Each Condition Design is Subject to Participant Attrition
Demand Effects Existence of Study inspires better performance
Control in the Call Center Potential for other motivators (e.g., social
facilitation) in the work environment – monetary incentives
Variability in the flow of calls to alumni; nature of alumni dataset
An Experimental Examination of Subconsciously Primed Goals
Gary P. LathamUniversity of Toronto
Ronald F. PiccoloUniversity of Central Florida
Does Prime tap Subconscious Motives? Two hypotheses drive third experiment:
Primed Goal for Achievement (e.g., “Race Photo”) leads to significantly higher number of achievement related words than task-specific or no-goal prime. McClellan’s Power-Achievement Theory
Primed Task-Specific Goal leads to significantly higher number of words associated with (a) work and (b) money than general achievement or no-goal prime. Locke & Latham’s Goal Setting Theory
Methods, Procedure, Analysis 165 Undergraduate students participate for
extra credit in general management course The two photos from Study 1 were used you
as stimuli in Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), a projective measure of subconscious motives meant to assess underlying state psychological motives.
Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Task-specific (i.e., “Headset”), n=67 General Achievement (i.e., “Race”), n=44 No Goal Control, n=54
Thematic Apperception Test
This is a test of imagination, one form of intelligence.
Here is a picture; please look at it carefully. Your task is to make up as dramatic a
story as you can for it. In the space below and on the following page, tell
what has led up to the event shown in the picture, describe what is happening at the moment, what the characters are feeling and thinking; and then give the outcome. Write your thoughts as they
come to your mind. Any questions?
You will have approximately 7 minutes to devote to this picture.
Thematic Apperception Test Results
Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC; Pennebaker et al., 2001)
F(162)=22.59*
F(162)=43.00*
F(162)=16.52*
Overall Conclusions Consistent with goal setting, a task-specific
prime encouraged attention to achievement, money, and work No Goal acted similarly as Conscious Goal
Matrix Prime (e.g., word search) is effective at: Concealing purpose of study True intention of this experiment
Task-specific prime seemed to last longer that General “Do Your Best”
Future Studies
Additional Professional Settings Larger Samples Alternative Outcomes
Service, Efficiency, Productivity ($$) Engagement, Turnover, Teamwork Others?
Longer Time Frame Additional Priming Devices
Matrix configuration vs. task or general achievement
Consider Additional Mediators Self Set Goals; State Affect
Thank you
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