Construal Levels and the Social-Cognitive Processes of Self-Control

解释水平和自我控制的社会认知过程

• 批准号: 0817360
• 负责人: Kentaro Fujita
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Ohio State University Research Foundation -DO NOT USE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-10-01 至 2009-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0817360&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Construal; Levels; Social; Cognitive; Processes

When faced with more salient and available rewards and temptations, people often abandon their goals and global interests. These self-control failures, exemplified by problems such as obesity, substance abuse, and unsafe sex, are perplexing and troubling. Despite widespread agreement of its importance, there is a surprising lack of consensus on what self-control entails, and what factors promote or impair it. The present research proposes that, like other judgments and decisions, self-control is construal-dependent. That is, people can construe the same object or event ("listening to a lecture") abstractly (or at high-levels; e.g., "getting an education") or concretely (or at low-levels; e.g., "sitting in a lecture hall"). The level of construal affects self-control in that higher level construals of events lead to judgments and decisions that are more consistent with one's global goals and values. Dr. Kentaro Fujita of Ohio State University builds on his previous work in this area by examining the specific psychological mechanisms by which subjective construals impact self-control. One set of studies examines how construal level may moderate the cognitive association between temptation and goal. Another set of studies examines how construal level may moderate the evaluative association between temptation and negativity. These changes in cognitive and evaluative associations as a function of high- vs. low-level construals should make it easier to avoid temptations and choose behavioral options that promote self-control. Self-control failures are believed to be at the heart of a number of costly personal and societal issues. Understanding better what self-control is, its underlying processes, and the factors that enhance or impair self-control may provide critical insight in how to address such problems.

当面对更明显和更容易获得的奖励和诱惑时，人们往往会放弃他们的目标和全球利益。 这些自我控制的失败，例如肥胖、药物滥用和不安全的性行为，是令人困惑和不安的。 尽管人们普遍认为自我控制的重要性，但对于自我控制的内涵以及促进或损害自我控制的因素却缺乏共识。 也就是说，人们可以抽象地（或在高层次上;例如，“接受教育”）或具体地（或在低水平上;例如，“坐在演讲厅里”）。 认知水平影响自我控制，因为更高水平的事件导致与一个人的整体目标和价值观更一致的判断和决定。 俄亥俄州州立大学的藤田孝太郎博士在他之前在这一领域的工作基础上，通过研究主观情绪影响自我控制的具体心理机制。 一组研究考察了认知水平如何调节诱惑和目标之间的认知联系。 另一组研究考察了认知水平如何调节诱惑和消极性之间的评估关联。 这些认知和评价关联的变化是高层次和低层次的人际关系的函数，应该更容易避免诱惑，选择促进自我控制的行为选择。 自我控制失败被认为是许多代价高昂的个人和社会问题的核心。 更好地理解什么是自我控制，它的基本过程，以及增强或削弱自我控制的因素可能会为如何解决这些问题提供关键的见解。