Retrieval-induced forgetting as motivated cognition

Recalling information from a particular category can reduce one's memory capability for related, non-retrieved information. This is known as the retrieval-induced forgetting effect (RIF; Anderson et al., 1994). The present paper reviews studies that show that the RIF effect is motivated. More specifically, we describe research showing that the need for closure (NFC; the motivation to attain epistemic certainty; Kruglanski and Webster, 1996) generally enhances the RIF, because this prevents uncertainty and confusion from the intrusion of unwanted memories during selective-retrieval. However, when the content of the to-be-forgotten information serves the retriever's goals, NFC reduces RIF. Overall, the present findings are consistent with the view that motivation can affect the magnitude of RIF effects which, in turn, can serve as a mechanism for reaching preferred conclusion

Aspects of motivation : reflections on Roy Baumeister’s essay

Reflecting on Roy Baumeister’s guidelines for a general theory of motivation, we relate his ideas to our own perspectives and interests. In those terms we consider, among others, the role of motivation in cognitive processes, the emergence of motives from basic needs, the mental representation of motives in memory, and the issue of free will. Roy’s paper compellingly demonstrates the indispensability of motivation to psychological phenomena writ large, and it aptly identifies critical junctures where further motivational research is needed

Need for cognitive closure modulates how perceptual decisions are affected by task difficulty and outcome relevance

The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which Need for Cognitive Closure (NCC), an individual-level epistemic motivation, can explain inter-individual variability in the cognitive effort invested on a perceptual decision making task (the random motion task). High levels of NCC are manifested in a preference for clarity, order and structure and a desire for firm and stable knowledge. The study evaluated how NCC moderates the impact of two variables known to increase the amount of cognitive effort invested on a task, namely task ambiguity (i.e., the difficulty of the perceptual discrimination) and outcome relevance (i.e., the monetary gain associated with a correct discrimination). Based on previous work and current design, we assumed that reaction times (RTs) on our motion discrimination task represent a valid index of effort investment. Task ambiguity was associated with increased cognitive effort in participants with low or medium NCC but, interestingly, it did not affect the RTs of participants with high NCC. A different pattern of association was observed for outcome relevance; high outcome relevance increased cognitive effort in participants with moderate or high NCC, but did not affect the performance of low NCC participants. In summary, the performance of individuals with low NCC was affected by task difficulty but not by outcome relevance, whereas individuals with high NCC were influenced by outcome relevance but not by task difficulty; only participants with medium NCC were affected by both task difficulty and outcome relevance. These results suggest that perceptual decision making is influenced by the interaction between context and NC

Personal failure makes society seem fonder: An inquiry into the roots of social interdependence

A universal consideration among people concerns the relative premium placed on social interdependence relative to self-reliant independence. While interdependence requires submission to social constraints, it also offers empowerment through coalition. While independence fosters freedom, it also imposes individual responsibility for attained outcomes whether good or bad. In four studies we obtain the first direct evidence that failure prompts a shift toward interdependence. Implications are discussed for conditions under which people are driven to collective action

Is "behavior" the problem?

Doliński (2018, this issue) deplores the near absence of “real behavior” in social and personality studies and attributes to that omission several problems in our research. We concur in the depiction of problems but take issue with the diagnosis. In a sense, most we ever study is behavior (the definition of the concept is quite broad). The problems are better understood as those of validity, generalizability and consequentiality in contemporary social/personality research and they stem from the "double whammy" of (occasionally unwarranted) IRB restrictions on social/personality research and unrealistic perfectionism that constrain our efforts

Gun ownership and gun violence:A comparison of the United States and Switzerland

There is a great deal of empirical evidence from the USA, but also internationally, that country-level gun ownership is positively associated with homicide and mass shooting rates. Because Switzerland appears to be an exception to this rule, having a high level of gun ownership but a very low homicide rate and practically no mass shootings, the Swiss situation is often used as evidence that firearm availability in the USA is not a cause of its high homicide and mass shooting rate. It is not surprising that the US National Rifle Association often points to Switzerland to argue that more rules on gun ownership are not necessary. Our psychological approach to gun violence acknowledges the sentiment that “guns don't kill people, people kill people”, by agreeing that guns are only means to an end – to use a gun for murder or a mass shooting usually requires a willingness to shoot, an intention. We examine three major differences between these countries that could contribute to the difference in homicides and mass shootings—namely, differences in gun laws, gun culture, and in relevant societal conditions. We argue that it is the greater role guns play as symbols of individual empowerment in the USA, the greater challenges facing American notions of masculinity and most importantly, the greater level of economic deprivation (i.e., poverty) suffered by large sections of the US population that are plausible causes of the higher rate of homicides and mass shootings.</p

On Sin and Sacrifice: How Intrinsic Religiosity and Sexual-Guilt Create Support for Martyrdom

The affective, behavioral, and cognitive influence of sexual sin is investigated in this research. In Study 1, we demonstrated that religious people watching erotic (vs. neutral) images reported greater sexual guilt, which in turn increased their willingness to self-sacrifice for a cause. Extending these results, in Study 2 we demonstrated that when recalling a time when they had committed a sexual sin (vs. no sin), people with an intrinsic religious orientation believe in a more punishing view of God (akin to the Old Testament), which in turn predicts the extent to which they engaged in painful sacrificial behavior. Overall, these results suggest that sexual sins motivate self-sacrifice to repent, especially among those with an intrinsic (vs. extrinsic) religious orientation

Positive affect as informational feedback in goal pursuit

Two studies investigated the cognitive activation of a goal following a promise to complete it. Current theorizing about the impact of positive affect as informational feedback in goal pursuit suggests two contradictory conclusions: (1) positive affect can signal that sufficient progress towards a goal has been made, but also (2) positive affect can signal that commitment to a goal should be maintained. When individuals infer that significant progress toward goal achievement has been made, the goal should be deactivated, but when individuals infer that commitment to the goal should be maintained, goal activation should be increased. To determine the conditions in which positive affect leads to increased goal activation as opposed to goal deactivation, we proposed that competing goals serve as a moderator. We found that positive affect led to decreased goal activation when competing goals were present, but to increased goal activation when competing goals were absent

The Epistemic Bases of Changes of Opinion and Choices: The Joint Effects of the Need for Cognitive Closure, Ascribed Epistemic Authority and Quality of Advice

This research investigates the epistemic underpinnings of changes of opinion and choices. Based on the Lay Epistemic Theory (Kruglanski et al., 2009) and consistent with relevant theories of persuasion (e.g., Chaiken, Liberman, &amp; Eagly, 1989; Kruglanski, &amp; Thompson, 1999; Petty &amp; Cacioppo, 1986), we hypothesized that individuals with a high (vs. low) need for cognitive closure would be more influenced by the high (vs. low) level of the epistemic authority of an advisor, and would be less influenced by the quality of the provided advice. These hypotheses were supported in two experimental studies (Total N=352) within two different domains of decision-making (a legal case in Study 1 and consumer behavior in Study 2). The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed