Are you more motivated to achieve after viewing a successful or unsuccessful person? The answer may depend on your cultural upbringing. Present Wed Nov 30

Lockwood & friends argue that societies can push a person to strive towards excellence (be ‘promotion focus’) or to focus on learning from failures and prevent failures (be ‘prevention focus’). They argue and showed that specific cultures (Asian, Mexican, Central American) emphasize obligations to family and defining oneself in terms of one’s relationships to others. Thus, there is a lot of pressure in pleasing others. In contrast, individualistic cultures (America, England, Western cultures) emphasize individual achievement and independent thought. They argue then that people raised with an independent/individualistic focus will be most motivated by positive/successful role models. People with an interdependent sense of self should be more motivated by (to avoid becoming) a negative/unsuccessful role model. We’ll test these hypotheses by assessing these concepts in people who you believe to have more of an independent or interdependent self-definition. Good project for people interested in helping professions, communications, education, interdisciplinary people, religion, business, sociology, and political science majors.

I will give you the article testing this hypothesis. I will also give you scales measuring the key concepts (independent/interdependent self concepts, promotion/prevention focus). Feel free to use those measures. Studies have stronger construct validity when they use established/valid scales. The biggest decision your lab group will have to make is how many role models does any one participant respond to (one or two)—one that is successful or unsuccessful or two – one that’s successful and one’s that is not. To reduce the number of participants needed, I’d suggest two, but there are disadvantages of doing so. You also need to decide how you are going to assess ‘motivation’ after seeing such role models. Look at their measures on page 382 and pages 386-7 carefully and decide.

Create a survey that people can complete in 10 minutes or so. You will also need to seek out and find people who you think are likely to have an interdependent or independent mindset. Contact friends/family to find collectivists if need be. Make it easy to collect data. Prof Inman knows some Asian students and faculty, if you get stuck. Consider other interdependent cultures too (e.g., Latino) to ask. Targeting one ‘status’ group (e.g., only students) will make your survey construction easier (a positive role model for a student and pos one for a faculty member are two DIFFERENT concepts).

Things to do/Tasks:

1. You'll need to print out the LAB WORKSHEET to complete and hand in on your presentation day.
2. Meet as a group (in class) and identify each person's strengths and tasks.
3. Discuss the project idea and specify the hypotheses (everyone's input here)
4. Design the method of the study (manipulation, materials), send materials to Inman

Discuss the way you'll present the info, what you'll say, what you'll do, debriefing, ethics

5. After approved by Inman, collect your data
6. Analyze/Code the data
7. Enter the data into a computer file (following Inman's instructions)
8. Learn of the results with Inman and how you'll present them graphically
9. Prepare a 8-minute (10-slide or so) powerpoint/overhead presentation (see website) decide on speaker roles
10. EVERYONE completes the lab worksheet about your study (see web)
11. EVERYONE stands up in class and EVERYONE has some speaking role in the class presentation.