Skip to main content
Kent Academic Repository

Boosted by closure! Regulatory focus predicts motivation and task persistence in the aftermath of task‐unrelated goal closure

Lalot, Fanny, Gollwitzer, Peter M., Quiamzade, Alain, Oettingen, Gabriele (2022) Boosted by closure! Regulatory focus predicts motivation and task persistence in the aftermath of task‐unrelated goal closure. European Journal of Social Psychology, 52 (5-6). pp. 944-962. ISSN 0046-2772. E-ISSN 1099-0992. (doi:10.1002/ejsp.2877) (KAR id:97137)

Abstract

Abstract: Past research has found that regulatory closure, that is, successful goal striving regulated either under a promotion or prevention focus, has important consequences in terms of motivational activation and mobilisation of cognitive resources in subsequent tasks, but it mostly investigated motivation in the same or similar tasks to the one for which closure was achieved. Drawing from an energisation‐deactivation hypothesis, we investigated the effect of closure on performance and persistence in unrelated subsequent cognitive tasks. Across four studies, we found that promotion closure had an energising effect leading to: quicker decision times in lexical tasks (Studies 1–2), increased persistence and greater originality (Study 3), and greater visuospatial memory performance (Study 4). In contrast, prevention closure had a deactivating effect leading to reduced performance and persistence. No systematic differences arose in situations of non‐closure. We discuss results and implications with respect to both regulatory closure and regulatory fit theoretical approaches.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1002/ejsp.2877
Uncontrolled keywords: RESEARCH ARTICLE, RESEARCH ARTICLES, goal activation, goal attainment, goal pursuit, regulatory closure, regulatory focus
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
SWORD Depositor: JISC Publications Router
Depositing User: JISC Publications Router
Date Deposited: 09 Aug 2024 08:52 UTC
Last Modified: 10 Aug 2024 02:10 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/97137 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.