Eyes on the Prize: The Preference to Invest Resources in Goals Over Means

Eyes on the Prize: The Preference to Invest Resources in Goals Over Means
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着眼于奖励:优先将资源投入目标而不是手段

DOI:
10.1037/pspa0000127
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发表时间:
2018
影响因子:
7.6
通讯作者:
Ayelet Fishbach
Ayelet Fishbach
中科院分区:
心理学1区
文献类型:
--
作者:
Franklin Shaddy;Ayelet Fishbach

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目标系统是分层次的,通常要求人们垂直投资资源--无论是在较低级别的手段上,还是在较高级别的目标上。例如,一个大学生想要选修某门课(一个目标),可能首先必须选修一个先决条件(手段)。我们调查了目标和手段的层级配置如何影响垂直资源分配的偏好。具体地说,我们发现,在目标-手段二元组中,人们更喜欢将资源转移到目标上(即,在手段上投入较少,在目标上投入更多),并进一步将更多资源投入到框架为目标的项目上(而不是手段;研究1-2)。将资源转移到目标上的偏好被目标-手段二元结构的存在所缓和(研究3),并被认为在目标上投资资源是对目标实现的更直接投资的看法(研究4)所调节。此外,人们选择减少与手段(相对于目标;研究5)相关的成本,当与手段(相对于目标)相关的成本被消除时,人们更快乐(研究6)。这些研究表明,厌恶在手段上投入资源会导致在追求目标的过程中做出非规范性决策。
Goal systems are hierarchical, often requiring people to invest resources vertically—both in lower-order means and higher-order goals. For example, a college student who wants to take a particular class (a goal) might first have to take a prerequisite (the means). We investigated how the hierarchical configuration of goals and means affects preferences for vertical resource allocation. Specifically, we found that within goal–means dyads, people preferred to shift resources toward goals (i.e., invest less in means and more in goals) and further invested more resources in items framed as goals (versus means; Studies 1–2). The preference to shift resources toward goals was moderated by the presence of a goal–means hierarchy within the dyad (Study 3) and mediated by the perception that investing resources in the goal was a more direct investment in goal attainment (Study 4). Moreover, people chose to reduce costs associated with means (versus goals; Study 5) and were happier when costs associated with means (versus goals) were eliminated (Study 6). These studies demonstrate that the aversion to investing resources in means can result in non-normative decision making in the course of goal pursuit.