PSYC19H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Dan Ariely, Behavioral Economics, Thermostat
PSYC19 - 1
LEC 10 – IMPROVING SELF-CONTROL - 5 APRIL 2018
• Cybernetic model of self-regulation → clues about how we can improve
• Setting goals/deadlines for yourself → implementation intention: structuring so that they
become automatic
• Cybernetic model:
1. Setting goal: what temperature to set for thermostat
2. Current state: 20 degrees centigrade → not going to worry about this
3. Conflict monitoring system: notices discrepancy in temperature and rings an alarm
4. Implementing system acts on it
▪ Can intervene on the other nodes
• Increasing salience/accessibility of goals
• more likely to pay attention
• strengthen implementing system
o bolstering goals, monitoring and implementation → motivation can hit all 3 points
ex. love all my psychology classes so all 3 nodes will ne reinforced
Bolstering goals
• goal setting → concrete/specific (no abstract goals), it needs to be challenging but
attainable, relevant to your broader set of goals → time bound (set deadlines for yourself)
o op-ed assignment must be submitted by 11:59 pm (external deadline) → if you set
your own deadline then you are more likely to achieve them ex. setting the deadline
before the external deadline → creating an internal deadline
• behavioral economist (social psychologist) → Dan Ariely → 2002 study→ 3 questions asked
→ people voluntarily set costly deadlines (had to pay a penalty for not meeting deadline) →
do self imposed deadlines improve performance? (will performance increase?) → do people
set optimal deadlines? (good as they can be, or do they fall short?)
o MIT class → assigned 3 assignments and allowed students to set their own deadlines
→ submit them anytime you like → have to declare the deadline → if you miss your
own deadline, there is a late penalty →question: will students set deadlines before
the last class?
o Students so set costly deadlines → modal number of students submitted most
papers on the last week
o Students do impose costly deadlines on average
▪ 42 days before end of class for paper 1
▪ 26 days before end of class for paper 2
▪ 10 days before end of class for paper 3
• Lab study where subjects had 21 days to submit proof reading assignments → every error
they would identify would earn then 10 cents
o Experimenter imposed 3 equally spread deadlines
o Self-imposed deadlines which were costly
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Increasing salience/accessibility of goals: more likely to pay attention, strengthen implementing system, bolstering goals, monitoring and implementation motivation can hit all 3 points ex. love all my psychology classes so all 3 nodes will ne reinforced. People voluntarily set costly deadlines (had to pay a penalty for not meeting deadline) do self imposed deadlines improve performance? (will performance increase?) Do people set optimal deadlines? (good as they can be, or do they fall short?: mit class assigned 3 assignments and allowed students to set their own deadlines. I(cid:859)ll (cid:271)e tired, or i (cid:373)ight ha(cid:448)e so(cid:373)ethi(cid:374)g else to do. Imagine desired future (goal) and obstacle to desired future: combine contrasting + ii solution to obstacle, study: angela duckworth wants to improve education for at risk kids in poor neighborhoods. 4th graders in low income school in philadelphia did mcii or positive thinking control.
