Doctoral Dissertation Research: Identity and the Process of Goal Accomplishment

SES-1332430Jan StetsRyan Trettevik Institution：加州大学河滨分校当个人朝着一个目标努力时，例如，成为一名“马拉松运动员”、“大学毕业生”或“成功的商人”，他们会根据从其他人那里得到的反馈来评估自己在实现目标方面的进展。如果他们实现目标的进度慢于预期，他们应该感到负面情绪；如果他们实现目标的进度快于预期，他们应该感受到积极的情绪。反过来，这些情绪应该帮助我们理解，当人们仍然致力于他们的目标时，积极的情绪促进了对目标的承诺，而消极的情绪抑制了对目标的承诺。在这篇论文中，Co-Pi检验了长期存在的认同论点，即对目标的验证会产生积极的情绪，而对目标的不验证会产生负面的情绪。同时，Co-PI调查一个人的目标的确认率，即对一个人的表现的反馈是否显示出进展较慢、进展较快或进展以预期的速度进行。这项分析是针对正在接受为期10周的本科课程的大学生进行的。在课程期间，学生将通过一系列调查来密切跟踪他们对学生身份的自我看法、他们的目标(他们在整个课程中的预期成绩)、预期实现目标的速度，以及他们对表现反馈的情绪反应。使用回归的统计测试将允许Co-PI检查目标实现程度和实现目标的进度对学生情绪状态的影响。更广泛的影响--更好地了解目标完成和朝着目标完成的进展如何随着时间的推移影响个人的感觉，这可以为人们在努力实现目标的过程中提供更好的方法提供见解。对于个人来说，为了感觉良好并继续坚持自己的努力，修改他们的目标，或者修改他们预期达到目标的速度可能很重要。这将对生活的各个方面产生影响，包括在学校、工作、家庭和人际关系中。雇主、教练、教师和导师如果更好地了解人们如何看待自己、他们的目标以及他们期望实现目标的预期速度，那么当他们面临困难时，他们可能会更有效地指导他人，因为这些特征会影响个人经历的情绪，并影响他们做出相应反应的方式。

SES-1332430Jan StetsRyan TrettevikInstitution: University of California RiversideAs individuals work towards a goal, for example, being a "marathon runner," "college graduate," or "successful businessperson," they evaluate their progress toward goal accomplishment on the basis of the feedback they receive from others. If their progress toward goal accomplishment is slower than their expected rate, they should feel negative emotions, and if their progress toward goal accomplishment is faster than expected, they should feel positive emotions. In turn, these emotions should help us understand when people remain committed to their goals with positive emotions fueling commitment to goals and negative emotions curtailing commitment to goals. In this dissertation, the Co-PI tests the long-standing identity argument that the verification of one's goals generates positive feelings and the non-verification of one's goals generates negative feelings. At the same time, the Co-PI investigates the rate of verifying one's goal, that is, whether feedback as to one's performance reveals slower progress, faster progress, or progress at one's expected rate. The analysis is of college students as they go through a 10-week, undergraduate course. Students will be closely followed during the course through a series of surveys that track their self-views' on their identity as student, their goals (expected grades as they go through the course), expected rate of achieving their goals, and their emotional responses to feedback on their performance. Statistical tests using regression will allow the Co-PI to examine the effects of goal attainment and the rate of progress towards goal attainment on students' emotional state. Broader ImpactHaving a better understanding of how goal accomplishment and progress toward goal accomplishment influences individuals' feelings over time can provide insights into better ways to help people as they work towards their goals. It may be important for individuals to modify their goals, or modify the rate at which they expect to reach their goals in order to feel good and continue persisting in their efforts. This would have implications in all areas of life including at school, at work, at home, and in relationships. Employers, coaches, teachers, and mentors may be more effective in guiding others when they face difficulties if they have a better understanding of the ways in which people view themselves, their goals, and the anticipated pace at which they expect to achieve their goals since these characteristics influence the emotions individuals experience and impact how they respond accordingly.