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Motivational Effectiveness and Goal Pursuit
What makes people effective at what they do? What makes them likely to succeed, or likely to fail? How do the ways in which individuals engage in goal pursuit influence effectiveness? What role do chronic and state-induced regulatory focus and regulatory mode play in strategic and tactical choices? How do different primary motives work together to promote a broader sense of well-being and “the good life”?
Our research investigates the motivational underpinnings of goal pursuit in different contexts. We examine how a promotion-oriented individual—generally preferring to use eager strategies—might differ from a prevention-oriented person, who prefers vigilant strategies. Similarly, we explore how a locomotion-oriented person with a high concern for control—a “just do it” attitude—might prefer different strategies from an assessment-oriented person with a high concern for truth—a “do it right” mentality. In other words, we study goal selection and goal pursuit. We also examine how balancing needs for truth, value, and control allows people to optimize decision-making and behavior.
Svetlana Komissarouk studies how people from different cultures approach problem-solving, and how creative problem-solving differs. She also examines how self-regulation influences decision-making in life-changing situations.
Emily Nakkawita studies how goal pursuit processes reflecting fundamental motives for control and truth vary when they are aimed at a promotion versus prevention goal. She also examines how performance in different types of tasks is affected by pursuing goals using strategies that align with one’s underlying motivational preferences (i.e., a regulatory fit) versus strategies that do not.
Interpersonal Processes
What makes strangers feel like they ‘click’ with each other? What are the motivational processes underlying the initiation and maintenance of romantic relationships? How do partners provide effective social support to one another in relationships? How do motivational orientations influence perceptions of the social support received? In our lab, we take a motivational approach to understanding interpersonal processes. We study how fundamental needs such as the motivation to experience shared reality influence dyadic interactions across a range of contexts, and using several theoretical frameworks.
Svetlana Komissarouk examines how motivational orientations change the way people seek and give help to others in within dyadic interactions.