1. Promotion and prevention Theory of Tory Higgins
Lecture 5

2. Approach vs. avoidance Approach – towards positive goals
Avoidance – away from negative goals
Different types of positive goals

3. Goals and evaluation
Minimal goals
Maximal goals

4. Minimal and maximal goals and evaluation of outcome
Minimal goal
Negative
Non-negative
Maximal goal
Positive
Non-positive

5. Promotion and prevention – theory of Tory Higgins
Two regulatory modes:
Through positive states – promotion mode (promotion focus)
Through negative states – prevention mode (prevention focus)

6. Discrepancies within the „self” (Tory Higgins)
Ideal self – whom I would like to be
Ought self – whom I should be
Reflected self – who the others would like me to be
Real self – who I am

7. Ideal vs. ought self
Who I want to be (my hope, aspirations) vs. who I ought to be (norms, moral principles)
„I want” vs. „I have to”
Id vs. superego
My own goals (internalized) vs. goals imposed by society

8. Ideals vs. oughts Ideals – maximal goals Oughts – minimal goals
Goal-consistency – positive outcome
Goal-inconsistency – non-positive outcome
Oughts – minimal goals
Goal-consistency – non-negative result
Goal-inconsistency – negative result

9. Minimal and maximal goals and evaluation of outcome
Minimal goal
Negative
Non-negative
Maximal goal
Positive
Non-positive

10. Promotion and prevention – theory of Tory Higgins
Two regulatory modes:
Focus on ideals  Maximizing positive states  promotion focus
Focus on oughts Minimizing negative states  prevention focus

11. Promotion vs. prevention
Differences in upbringing
Differences in experienced emotions
Differences in risk behavior

12. Promotion focus Promotion focus Nurturance needs Strong ideals
Sensitivity to presence or
absence of positive outcomes
Nurturance needs
Promotion
focus
Strong ideals
Approach as strategy
Insure hits and insure against
Errors of omission
Gain/non-gain
situations
Cheerfulness/dejection emotions

13. Prevention focus Prevention focus Security needs Strong oughts
Sensitivity to absence or presence
of negative outcomes
Security needs
Prevention
focus
Strong oughts
Avoidance as strategy
Insure correct rejections and
Insure against errors of commission
Non-loss/loss
situations
Queiscence/agitation
emotions

14. Promotion vs. Prevention and risk-seeking
Promotion  minimizing false negatives  risk seeking
Prevention  minimizing false positives  risk aversion

15. Categorization decisions
predictor H
Alternative
predictor non-H
Outcome a
Hits c
False negatives
Alternative
Outcome b
False positives d
Correct
rejections

16. Passed the test
Failed / did
not take the test
fit
misfit
fit
misfit
Hit
False positive
False negative
Correct rejection
Promotion minimizes this
Prevention minimizes this

17. Risk behavior and categorization decisions
minimizing false positives risk aversion
minimizing false negatives  risk seeking

18. Promotion vs. Prevention and emotions
Regulatory modes and the emotional circumplex of Russell and Mehrabian
Telic vs. Paratelic motivation

19. Promotion vs. prevention and categorization processes - summary
Don’t accept the undesirable
Minimize false alarms
Negativity effect
Risk-avoidance
Preservation of status quo (security, conservation)
Don’t reject the desirable
Minimize misses
Positivity effect
Risk-seeking
Change of status quo (development, optimization)

20. Summary of the two regulatory modes
Promotion
Prevention
Ideals
Oughts
Ensures development
Ensures security
Emotions: from boredom to excitement to sadness and disappointment
Emotions: from tension to relaxation
Risk seeking strategies: maximization of „hits”
Risk averse strategies: maximization of „correct rejections”
„Eager” strategies – focus on positives
„Vigilant” strategies – focus on negatives
Positivity effect?
Negativity effect?

21. Other correlates Promotion Prevention Speed preferred to accuracy
Accuracy preferred to speed
Additive counterfactuals (If I did X…)
Subtractive counterfactuals (If I haven’t done X…)
Omission error – sense of guilt for not doing something
Commission error – sense of guilt for having done something
In categorization tasks more categorization criteria
In categorization tasks generowaniefewer categorization criteria
Openess to change, e.g. the present course of action
Lack of openess to change, less frequent changes of course of action

22. Promotion – prevention as trait and state
Dispositional trait - chronic regulatory focus
Situationally evoked mode – focus on promotion vs. prevention

23. Promotion/prevention as disposition – measurement methods
Self-guide Strength Measure – based on reaction time to ideals- and oughts- associated contents
Regulatory Focus Questionnaire 11 items, scale 1-5 (exemplary items)
Compared to most people are you typicaly unable to get what you want out of life? (promotion- reversed)
Not being careful enough has gotten me into trouble at time (prevention reversed)
I feel like I have made progress toward being successful in my life (promotion)
Did you get on your parents’ nerves often when you were growing up (prevention reversed)

24. Prmotion vs. prevention as state
Priming of oughts vs. ideals”
Focus on positives (eager strategy) vs. elimination of negatives (vigilant strategy)
Presentation of a task as gain vs. loss prevention
You get $3 – during the task you can receive more (promotion) vs. you get $6 – during the task you can lose part of the sum (prevention)
Instruction: how much you would have gained if you chose X (promotion) vs. how much you would have lost if you have not chosen X (prevention)
Find useful elements (promotion) vs. eliminate harmful elements (prevention)

25. Consequences of „regulatory fit”
Dispositional
Situational
Promotion
Prevention
Faster reaction time
Higher evaluation of an object chosen in the decision process
Slower reaction time
Lower evalutaion of the chosen alternative

26. Promowanie-zapobieganie a inne teorie

27. James A. Russell (University of British Columbia)
Kołowa teoria emocji (‘emotional circumplex’)
Dwa wymiary emocji:
Znak (przyjemny – przykry)
Pobudzenie (wysokie – niskie pobudzenie)

28. Emotional circumplex High arousal Low arousal positive negative
hectic
active
exciting
frenzied
alive
rushed
exhilirating
intense
panicky
interesting
arousing
tense
forceful
stimulating
sensational
uncomfortable
positive
repulsive
pleasing
dissatisfying
negative
unpleasant
pretty
beautiful
displeasing
nice
pleasant
unstimulating
serene
dreary
inactive
restful
dull
peaceful
calm
boring
idle
drowsy
tranquil
monotoneous
lazy
slow
After: Russell, Lanius, 1984
Low arousal

29. Emotional circumplex and promotion-prevention
High arousal
Anxiety
Excitement
PROMOTION
PREVENTION
Pleasant
Unpleasant
Boredom
Relaxation
Low arousal

30. Promotion – prevention and telic vs. paratelic motivation
Theory of Michael Apter

31. Telic vs. paratelic motivation
activity
Telic motivation
goal
goal
Paratelic motivation
activity

32. Michael J. Apter vs
Donald O. Hebb

33. Telic vs. paratelic motivation
Initiated by unpleasant arousal (anxiety)
Ultimate goal – relaxation
High arousal – unpleasant
Low arousal – pleasant
Motivation: avoiding overly stimulating environments
PARATELIC
Initiated by low arousal (boredom)
Ultimate goal – excitement
High arousal – pleasant
Low arousal– unpleasant
Motivation: looking for stimulating environments

34. Emotional circumplex and telic-paratelic motivation
High arousal
Anxiety
Excitement
PARATELIC
TELIC
Pleasant
Unpleasant
Boredom
Relaxation
Low arousal

35. Is the dichotomy of promotion v
Is the dichotomy of promotion v. prevention related to other dichotomies?

36. Promotion-prevention and temporal perspective

37. Mental construal theory by Yaacov Trope and Nira Liberman
Psychological distance
Temporal: close vs. distant events
Spatial: close vs. distant situations and objects
Social: us vs. them
Psychological: real vs. hypothetical
Yaacov Trope
Nira Liberman

38. Representation of objects and events depends on psychological distance
The more distant (temporal, spatial, psychological) the more:
Abstract
Polarized – unambiguously positive or negative
Homogeneous
Future behaviors categorized on higher identification level than present behaviors
(what are you doing? vs. what will you be doing?)
Works both ways:
Perspective categoryzation
Categorization  perspective

39. Promotion-prevention and mental construal
Promotion  more psychological distance
Prevention  less psychological distance

40. Summary: „either – or” vs. necessary balance?
Consquences of prevention only?
Consequences of promotion only?