scholarly journals Planfulness: A Process-Focused Construct of Individual Differences in Goal Achievement

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita M. Ludwig ◽  
Sanjay Srivastava ◽  
Elliot T. Berkman
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Goal Pursuit ◽  
Goal Achievement ◽  
Temporal Orientation ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Goal Progress ◽  
Scale Scores

Goal pursuit outcomes are partly caused by the way people think about goals. Specific patterns of thought can increase the likelihood of goal achievement, such as generating heuristics to automate goal-related decision making, orienting present-moment attention to the future to increase the salience of a distal goal, and contrasting the anticipated enjoyment of an achieved goal with the progress required to complete it. However, it is unknown whether there are stable individual differences in the tendency to deploy particular meta-cognitions during goal pursuit. A tool to assess such differences would help to identify and intervene on personal barriers to goal progress. Here, we define a new construct within the conscientiousness domain—planfulness—that captures a person’s proclivity to adopt efficient goal-related cognition in pursuit of their goals. We hypothesize that planfulness consists of three interrelated facets representing distinct mental processes, temporal orientation (TO), cognitive strategies (CS), and mental flexibility (MF), and that planfulness predicts goal achievement on an individual basis. We developed a 30-item Planfulness Scale with three subscales tested and refined across 5 studies and 10 samples (total unique N = 4,318) using iterative exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis on data collected from both student and on-line samples. The Planfulness Scale demonstrated both convergent and discriminant validity when compared to other measurements, and scale scores predicted goal progress in a longitudinal study. We find that planfulness is a useful new construct for self-regulation research, and the 30-item Planfulness Scale to be a valid and reliable measurement of real-world goal achievement.

scholarly journals Planfulness: A Process-Focused Construct of Individual Differences in Goal Achievement.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita M. Ludwig ◽  
Sanjay Srivastava ◽  
Elliot Berkman
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Goal Pursuit ◽  
Goal Achievement ◽  
Temporal Orientation ◽  
Goal Progress ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity ◽  
Scale Scores

Goal pursuit outcomes are partly caused by the way people think about goals. However, it is unknown whether there are stable individual differences in the tendency to deploy particular meta-cognitions during goal pursuit, and whether such patterns of thought predict eventual achievement. A tool to assess such differences would help to identify and intervene on barriers to goal progress. Here, we define a new construct within the conscientiousness domain—planfulness—that captures a person’s proclivity to adopt efficient goal-related cognition in pursuit of their goals. We hypothesize that planfulness consists of three facets representing distinct mental processes (temporal orientation, cognitive strategies, and mental flexibility), and that planfulness predicts goal achievement on an individual basis. We developed a 30-item Planfulness Scale with three subscales tested and refined across 5 studies and 10 samples (total unique N = 4,318) on data collected from both student and on-line samples. The Planfulness Scale demonstrated both convergent and discriminant validity when compared to other measurements, and scale scores predicted goal progress in a longitudinal study. We conclude that the Planfulness Scale is a valid and reliable measurement of real-world goal achievement, and we describe the utility of the planfulness construct for self-regulation research and applied settings.

Interest as the Missing Motivator in Self-Regulation

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Sansone ◽  
Dustin B. Thoman
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Goal Pursuit ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Goal Striving ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
And Performance

Abstract. Typically, models of self-regulation include motivation in terms of goals. Motivation is proposed to fluctuate according to how much individuals value goals and expect to attain them. Missing from these models is the motivation that arises from the process of goal-pursuit. We suggest that an important aspect of self-regulation is monitoring and regulating our motivation, not just our progress toward goals. Although we can regulate motivation by enhancing the value or expectancy of attaining the outcome, we suggest that regulating the interest experience can be just as, if not more, powerful. We first present our model, which integrates self-regulation of interest within the goal-striving process. We then briefly review existing evidence, distinguishing between two broad classes of potential interest-enhancing strategies: intrapersonal and interpersonal. For each class of strategies we note what is known about developmental and individual differences in whether and how these kinds of strategies are used. We also discuss implications, including the potential trade-offs between regulating interest and performance, and how recognizing the role of the interest experience may shed new light on earlier research in domains such as close relationships, psychiatric disorders, and females' choice to drop out of math and science.

scholarly journals Predicting Exercise With a Personality Facet: Planfulness and Goal Achievement

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1510-1521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita M. Ludwig ◽  
Sanjay Srivastava ◽  
Elliot T. Berkman
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Goal Pursuit ◽  
Goal Achievement ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Latent Growth Curve Model ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Curve Model ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Better Than

Establishing reliable predictors of health behavior is a goal of health psychology. A relevant insight from personality psychology is that facets can predict specific behaviors better than broad traits do. We hypothesized that we could predict physical activity with a facet of conscientiousness related to goal pursuit—planfulness. We measured the relationship between Planfulness Scale scores and physical activity in 282 individuals over a total of 20 weeks, using a piecewise latent growth curve model. We additionally tested whether planfulness uniquely relates to activity when compared with related constructs. Finally, ratings of participants’ written goals were correlated with these personality traits and physical activity. We found that planfulness was positively associated with average visits to a recreational center, that planfulness explained unique variance in activity, and that planfulness correlated with the descriptiveness of written goals. We conclude that the Planfulness Scale is a valid measurement uniquely suited to predicting goal achievement.

Interpersonal Influences on Self-Regulation

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gráinne M. Fitzsimons ◽  
Eli J. Finkel
Keyword(s):  
Self Regulation ◽  
Goal Pursuit ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Interpersonal Processes ◽  
Goal Progress ◽  
The Social ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Goal Pursuits ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Impact

Since the 1960s, personality and social psychologists have taken major strides toward understanding the intrapersonal processes that promote successful self-regulation. The current article reviews insights into the understanding of self-regulation gained by examining the impact of interpersonal processes on the initiation, operation, and monitoring of goals. We review research suggesting that other people can act as triggers of goals, causing people to unconsciously initiate new goal pursuits; that interpersonal interactions can tap self-control, leaving people with depleted resources for goal pursuit; that relationship partners can support goal operation, leading to more effective goal pursuit; and that the social environment can facilitate effective monitoring of one’s extant goal progress and likelihood of future goal achievement.

scholarly journals Goal Cycle: Antecedents and Consequences of Goal Progress

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Szumowska ◽  
Katarzyna Jasko ◽  
Karolina Dukała ◽  
Paulina Górska
Keyword(s):  
Self Regulation ◽  
Goal Pursuit ◽  
Cyclic Process ◽  
Goal Progress ◽  
Reciprocal Relationships ◽  
Goal Importance ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
Person Centered Approach ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Level Of Analysis

Even though goal pursuit is often conceptualized as a linear phenomenon, it consists of feedback loops and reciprocal relationships between its crucial components. To investigate this aspect, we tested relationships between goal properties (goal importance and expectancy of success) as well as goal-related emotions and goal progress over time. Across three waves, 389 participants, and 3,150 unique goals, we found that goal progress was positively predicted by goal expectancy and, less consistently, by the importance attached to the goal. Furthermore, it was also positively predicted by goal-related satisfaction and, to a lesser extent, stress. Moreover, goal progress positively predicted future progress on the same goal via increased importance, increased expectancy, and increased satisfaction and negatively via decreased stress. These results provide insight into the mechanisms of goal-pursuit viewed as a cyclic process. Moreover, given that we have found much greater variability at the goal (compared to the person) level of analysis, the results suggest a goal- rather than person-centered approach to studying self-regulation.

scholarly journals Individual differences in if-then planning: Insights from the development and application of the If-Then Planning Scale (ITPS)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maik Bieleke ◽  
Lucas Keller
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Goal Attainment ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Implementation Intention ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity ◽  
Environmental Goals ◽  
Open Question

Making if-then plans is a self-regulation strategy that facilitates goal attainment. An open question is, however, whether there are individual differences in if-then planning. We, therefore, developed and validated the If-Then Planning Scale (ITPS) in three independent studies with more than 2,600 participants. The ITPS is conceptually grounded in implementation intention theory, measuring whether individuals identify critical situations (if-part) and plan goal-directed behaviors (then-part) in terms of opportunities and obstacles. We established the psychometric qualities of the ITPS in Studies 1a and 1b and its convergent and discriminant validity in Studies 2 and 3. Applying the ITPS, we showed that if-then planning is associated with the attainment of environmental goals (Studies 1a and 1b), socioeconomic status (Studies 1a, 1b, and 2), and academic achievement (Study 3). Our results demonstrate individual differences in if-then planning that can be efficiently and reliably measured with the ITPS, and reveal systematic associations between these individual differences and goal attainment.

The impact of goal progress and individual differences on self-regulation in training

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 661-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Donovan ◽  
Steven J. Lorenzet ◽  
Stephen A. Dwight ◽  
Dan Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Goal Progress ◽  
The Impact

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia During Sleep and Waking

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Stoakley ◽  
Karen J. Mathewson ◽  
Louis A. Schmidt ◽  
Kimberly A. Cote
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Nrem Sleep ◽  
Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Affective Style ◽  
Waking State ◽  
Optimal Period ◽  
The Stability

Abstract. Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is related to individual differences in waking affective style and self-regulation. However, little is known about the stability of RSA between sleep/wake stages or the relations between RSA during sleep and waking affective style. We examined resting RSA in 25 healthy undergraduates during the waking state and one night of sleep. Stability of cardiac variables across sleep/wake states was highly reliable within participants. As predicted, greater approach behavior and lower impulsivity were associated with higher RSA; these relations were evident in early night Non-REM (NREM) sleep, particularly in slow wave sleep (SWS). The current research extends previous findings by establishing stability of RSA within individuals between wake and sleep states, and by identifying SWS as an optimal period of measurement for relations between waking affective style and RSA.

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