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The interaction between induced optimistic or induced pessimistic forecasts and regulatory focus on task engagement (Study 3).
Source publication
People are rarely completely accurate in forecasting their own futures. Instead, past research has demonstrated tendencies for both optimistic and pessimistic bias in thinking about one's own outcomes. Furthermore, both biases are thought to be potentially functional. Recently, an "intuitive functionalist" account of forecasting biases has been pro...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... determine the nature of this interaction, follow-up simple-slope tests (Aiken & West, 1991) were again performed at 1.5 SD above and below the zero point on the regulatory focus index (indicating promotion-focused and prevention-focused individuals, respectively) within each of the outlook conditions. As shown in Figure 4, in the optimism condition, engagement was significantly higher for promotion-focused participants (M predicted = 687.90) than prevention-focused participants (M predicted = 446.04), ...
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Citations
... They aim to fulfill essential job requirements, are sensitive to failure and loss, and try to avoid them as much as possible [54,55]. Prevention focus affects employees' preferences and goal achievement [56]. Therefore, employees with a prevention focus are more likely to adhere to conventions in their work and respond more negatively to W_ICTs. ...
Work-related use of information and communication technologies after-hours (W_ICTs) blurs the boundaries between work and non-work domains, representing a typical boundary-crossing behavior that affects employees' lives and organizational development. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources theory, this study develops a dynamic curvilinear model of the impact of W_ICTs on work procrastination, considering intrinsic motivation (self-efficacy and enjoyment) and regulatory focus (prevention focus). Empirical testing of the research hypotheses is conducted through a survey involving 817 employees with standard working hours (e.g. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The results indicate that W_ICTs can be regarded as both inhibitors and promoters, with a U-shaped impact on work procrastination and an inverted U-shaped effect on self-efficacy and enjoyment. The mediating roles of self-efficacy and enjoyment are significant. Moreover, prevention focus moderates the relationship between W_ICTs and enjoyment, whereas the moderating effect between W_ICTs and self-efficacy is insignificant. This dynamic curvilinear relationship may explain the inconsistent results of prior studies regarding the relationship between W_ICTs and employees' negative behaviors. It contributes to expanding research on the outcomes of W_ICTs and the antecedents of work procrastination. Moreover, the proposed influence mechanism between W_ICTs and work procrastination has not been established from the perspective of intrinsic motivation and prevention focus. Hence, this study responds to scholars’ calls and adds to the existing research on how W_ICTs affect work procrastination. These research findings enhance the current understanding of the effects of W_ICTs and offer valuable insights for organizations to effectively manage W_ICTs and address work procrastination behavior in practice.
... These two traits, negativity and risk aversion by the individual may be considered by the organisation in which they work as not being consistent with the organisational culture. This view is also supported by Hazlett et al. (2011) who found that individuals primarily focused on advancement and growth preferred optimistic forecasts, whilst those concerned with safety and security adopt a more pessimistic forecast and outlook. ...
Purpose
This research aspires to contribute in the area of exploration of the psychological traits evolving by practitioners within the project management profession. Specifically, it investigates whether there is any difference in optimism levels among experienced project management practitioners and newcomers in the profession.
Design/methodology/approach
The research used the life orientation test-revised (LOTR) (Scheier et al. , 1994) to calculate respondents’ optimism scores. With these scores at hand, the researchers could then apply inferential statistics in order to deduce any differences observed among optimism score and the respondents’ characteristics (age, years of experience etc.).
Findings
Based on the results of this research, several demographic variables were shown to be statistically significant with optimism. These were (1) the number of years of experience the respondent had in managing projects, (2) working in a government organisation and (3) possessing specific project management certifications, all of which were found to adversely affect the respondent’s optimism score.
Originality/value
This research was unique in applying a well-known psychological test instrument (LOTR) to provide insight into the psychological impacts of a career as an information technology (IT) project manager. It is also highly likely that this correlation between the length of time working as a project manager and the adverse impact on their optimism would also apply to not just IT project managers but all experienced project managers.
... Στην ανάλυση της θεωρίας του, ο Higgins (1997) υπέθεσε ότι η ρύθμιση εστιασμένη στην προαγωγή σχετίζεται με την αισιοδοξία ως διαδικασία αυτορρύθμισης του ανθρώπου και η ρύθμιση εστιασμένη στην αποτροπή σχετίζεται με την απαισιοδοξία. Τρεις ερευνητές 14 χρόνια αργότερα, επιβεβαίωσαν αυτή την υπόθεση του (Hazlett et al., 2011). Αναλυτικότερα, τα άτομα που υιοθετούσαν ως μέθοδο αυτορρύθμισης την ρύθμιση εστιασμένη στην προαγωγή προτίμησαν να έχουν αισιόδοξες προβλέψεις για το μέλλον, και ήταν αποδοτικότεροι όταν ήταν αισιόδοξοι. ...
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between state optimism, state pessimism, and daily job crafting as applied in the Job Demands-Resources model. Based on regulatory focus theory, we hypothesized that optimism would be positively related to the promotion-focused job crafting strategies of "seeking resources" and "seeking constructive challenges," while pessimism would be positively related to the prevention-focused strategy of "reducing hindering demands. Data were based on sixty-four employees working at a Hellenic Air Force military base who completed a quantitative diary for five consecutive work days. The results of multilevel analyses confirmed that state optimism and state pessimism are district but negatively related constructs. In addition, our hypotheses of the relationships between state optimism, state pessimism and daily job crafting, were confirmed. This study contributes to the ongoing theoretical debate about the structure of optimism/pessimism, and provides evidence that even in hierarchical organizations with limited autonomy for their employees, such as military organizations, individuals can craft their jobs to mobilize the resources necessary to effectively perform their tasks.
... Prior research has examined the association between regulatory focus and personality variables, revealing that promotion focus exhibits a favorable correlation with optimism, whereas prevention focus shows a negative correlation with optimism (Hazlett et al., 2011). Promotion focus is strongly associated with extraversion, conscientiousness, and self-esteem, and inversely related to neuroticism, while responsibility, neuroticism, and prevention focus are positively correlated (Gorman et al., 2012). ...
... Secondly, this study validates a connection between proactive personality and promotion focus, it also identifies the negative effect of promotion focus on pro-social rule breaking behavior, which offers empirical validation for the promotion focus theory. While scholars have examined the connection between various personality traits and regulatory focus (Gorman et al., 2012;Hazlett et al., 2011), the impact of proactive personality on promotion focus has not been thoroughly explored. This study further explores the close link between the two variables and found that proactive personality positively influences promotion focus, as well as promotion focus mediates the relationship between proactive personality and pro-social rule breaking behavior. ...
In the VUCA era, organizations that are bound by rigid regulations often find themselves lagging behind in their ability to adapt to the dynamic external environment, consequently missing out on potential opportunities. Organizational innovation often stems from employees' proactive and spontaneous pro-social rule breaking behavior. This study, based on situation-strength theory under the framework of trait activation, investigates the impact of proactive personality on employees' pro-social rule breaking behavior and its underlying mechanisms through a scenario experiment and a questionnaire survey. The results reveal that proactive personality is not significant for pro-social rule breaking behavior, with one positive and one negative effect counteracting each other. Proactive personality positively influences promotion focus, but it also negatively affects pro-social rule breaking behavior through promotion focus. Moreover, psychological safety climate plays a weakening moderating role between promotion focus and pro-social rule breaking behavior. With an increase in the level of psychological safety climate, the negative effect of proactive personality on prosocial rule-breaking behavior through promotion focus gradually attenuates. This study offers novel insights for a more comprehensive comprehension of the role of proactive personality on favorable organizational behavior and deepens the understanding of the effect mechanisms and boundary conditions in the association between proactive personality and pro-social rule-breaking behavior.
... By contrast, those high in prevention focus are oriented toward the absence of negative outcomes and minimizing errors of commission. Interestingly, narcissism has been linked to high levels of promotion-oriented regulatory focus (Hanke et al., 2019;Morf & Rhodewalt, 2001), which, in turn, leads to optimism bias (Hazlett et al., 2011). Building on those findings, it is reasonable to assume that given their orientation toward self-enhancement, narcissist individuals may adopt some promotion-focus during their evaluation process, which may explain their optimistic views. ...
Understanding the determinants of food and beverage healthiness perceptions and consumers' subsequent choices are key to fighting obesity. In this research, we provide empirical evidence for narcissism as an important determinant. Building on the psychological literature on narcissism and its evaluative biases, we develop and test a model exploring how individuals high in narcissism perceive benefits in food compared to their counterparts, which, in turn, elicits higher food consumption. In three studies using different samples (French‐ and US‐based), methods (correlational, field study and online experiment), and products (wine and nuts), we report consistent evidence for this argument. We also show that that this pattern flips when considering the social context. Individuals high in narcissism in social situations adopt a protection strategy of their self‐image, thereby focusing more on food health hazards and consequentially refraining more from consuming such foods. Our findings on how narcissism triggers food perceptions as well as subsequent consumption choices have important implications for both the food industry and public policy.
... In this study, we conceptualize science optimism and pessimism through a psychological view of gain and loss. We define science optimism as a promotion orientation that focuses on growth, gain, and generating more, even if there are possible losses and risks of errors (Hazlett et al., 2011;Higgins, 1997;Liberman et al., 2001). So, our science optimism measures motivations for attaining growth. ...
... So, our science optimism measures motivations for attaining growth. Science pessimism focuses on prevention orientations, which are associated with protecting against and avoiding possible losses even if possible gains are missed (Hazlett et al., 2011;Higgins, 1997;Liberman et al., 2001). Therefore, we view people's general pessimistic and optimistic evaluative dimensions about the role of science and technology as an additional/new way to conceptualize the positive or negative developments consequences of science and technology developments. ...
While there have always been those in the American public who mistrust science and scientists’ views of the world, they have tended to be a minority of the larger public. Recent COVID-19 related events indicate that could be changing for some key groups. What might explain the present state of mistrust of science within an important component of the American public? In this study, we delve deeply into this question and examine what citizens today believe about science and technology and why, focusing on core theories of trust, risk concern, and political values and on the important role of science optimism and pessimism orientations. Using national public survey data, we examine the correlates of science optimism and pessimism and test the efficacy of this construct as drivers of biotechnology policy. We find that science optimism and pessimism are empirically useful constructs and that they are important predictors of biotechnology policy choices.
... Finally, future research should examine whether the forecasts people report relying on to make decisions vary across individuals, age groups, and cultures. For instance, people who regulate anxiety using defensive pessimism may rely more on forecast negative than positive emotion in order to avoid future threats (Hazlett et al., 2011). ...
Forecasts about future emotion are often inaccurate, so why do people rely on them to make decisions? People may forecast some features of their emotional experience better than others, and they may report relying on forecasts that are more accurate to make decisions. To test this, four studies assessed the features of emotion people reported forecasting to make decisions about their careers, education, politics, and health. In Study 1, graduating medical students reported relying more on forecast emotional intensity than frequency or duration to decide how to rank residency programs as part of the process of being matched with a program. Similarly, participants reported relying more on forecast emotional intensity than frequency or duration to decide which universities to apply to (Study 2), which presidential candidate to vote for (Study 3), and whether to travel as Covid-19 rates declined (Study 4). Studies 1 and 3 also assessed forecasting accuracy. Participants forecast emotional intensity more accurately than frequency or duration. People make better decisions when they can anticipate the future. Thus, people’s reports of relying on forecast emotional intensity to guide life-changing decisions, and the greater accuracy of these forecasts, provide important new evidence of the adaptive value of affective forecasts.
... It should be noted that values lower than α = .70 have been found before for the promotion subscale [34]. For the present study, two professional translators converted the original English version items into German independent of one another. ...
... Furthermore, promotion focus displayed relations with all dimensions of the BFInot just openness and extraversion -, while prevention focus was only moderately associated with Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness. In keeping with Hazlett and colleagues [34], promotion focus correlated negatively with pessimism and positively with optimism, while prevention focus did not show the expected associations. ...
Background: The Regulatory Focus Questionnaire (RFQ) assesses regulatory promotion and prevention focus, which represent orientations towards gains or losses. The main objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the newly translated German version. Methods: A sample of 1024 participants answered the questionnaire and several related instruments. We used an online survey tool to collect this data. Data analysis was conducted using methods of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in SPSS and AMOS. Results: The RFQ displayed acceptable reliability, while its correlations with other, related psychological constructs indicated good validity. Factor analysis showed good fit for a two-dimensional model. Tests of measurement invariance revealed clear evidence for metric invariance while scalar invariance remained uncertain. Differences in regulatory focus based on sociodemographic characteristics are reported and discussed. Conclusions: Overall, the RFQ can be recommended for application in fields dealing with motivation and goal attainment in a broad sense.
... Moreover, pursuing maximal goals should drive such individuals to engage in behaviour that maximises the extent to which their income enables the attainment of growth and accomplishment on a long-term basis. This is also consistent with the preference of promotion-oriented individuals for optimistic outlooks, which assists in the eager pursuit of goals (Hazlett et al., 2011). In line with this, Pereira and Coelho (2020) observed promotion to be positively associated with financial literacy. ...
... Accordingly, prevention-oriented individuals are likely to negatively assess their income in comparison to their needs. This mirrors the argument that prevention-oriented individuals prefer pessimistic outlooks, as these are functional in terms of maintaining a vigilant pursuit of goals (Hazlett et al., 2011). In addition, Pereira and Coelho (2020) determined that prevention is associated with lower financial literacy, reasoning that the risk aversion and the ensuing narrower attentional scope (Baas et al., 2008) curtails the search for financial information. ...
This study predicts an indirect relationship between regulatory focus and pro-environmental behaviour. In doing so we advance the incipient and conflicting literature on the relationship between regulatory focus and pro-environmental behaviour, predicting both positive and negative channels for the dissemination of regulatory focus effects on environmentally-friendly behaviour. The results, based on data collected from 925 individuals , show that the effects of both regulatory orientations on pro-environmental behaviour are completely mediated by the predicted mechanisms. Both promotion and prevention show an indirect positive relationship with environmentally-friendly behaviour, but this depends on the specific type of environmental behaviour. Moreover, the results suggest that both promotion and prevention affect pro-environmental behaviour through positive and negative channels. ARTICLE HISTORY
... Specifically, prevention-orientation individuals are less optimistic than promotion-orientation ones. Prevention consumers' orientation of vigilant goal pursuit and failure-oriented expectancies are less conducive of optimism (Förster et al., 2001;Hazlett et al., 2011). As a result, prevention goal orientation is negatively correlated with optimism (Grant and Higgins, 2003). ...
This paper aims to examine the interaction between firm's new product preannouncement (NPP) strategies and consumers' regulatory foci on their WOM intention and the underlying mechanisms. In three experiments, we find that (1) the promotion-focused (prevention-focused) consumers have higher WOM intentions for vague (specific) NPP; (2) curiosity (outcome expectancy) mediates the effects of the NPP strategies on WOM intention for promotion-focused (prevention-focused) consumers; and (3) brand familiarity plays a moderating role, such that the interaction effect between NPP strategy and regulatory focus on consumers' WOM intention holds for a low-familiarity brand only. Our research contributes to a better understanding of NPP strategies and provides actionable strategic support for firms to conduct NPP.
