On the course of goal pursuit: The influence of goal progress on explicit judgments of self-agency

Anneloes Kip,Demi Blom,Anouk Van Der Weiden

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2021.103222

Abstract

The experience of causing our own actions and resulting outcomes (i.e., self-agency) is essential for the regulation of our actions during goal pursuit. In two experiments, participants indicated experienced self-agency over presented outcomes, which varied in distance to their goal in an agency-ambiguous task. In Study 1, progress was manipulated at trial level (i.e., stimuli moved randomly or sequentially towards the goal). In Study 2, progress was constant at trial level (sequential), but varied at task level (i.e., goal discrepancy of the outcomes was random or decreased over trials). Study 1 showed that self-agency gradually increased in the progress condition as unsuccessful outcomes were objectively closer to the goal, while self-agency increased exponentially upon full goal attainment in the absence of progress. The gradual pattern for the progress condition was replicated in Study 2. These studies indicate that explicit judgments of self-agency are more flexible when there is goal progress.

Highlights

Having a sense of agency is a central aspect of our daily life where goal pursuit is ubiquitous
Study 1 showed that self-agency gradually increased in the progress condition as unsuccessful outcomes were objectively closer to the goal, while self-agency increased exponentially upon full goal attainment in the absence of progress
Previous research suggests that people experience self-agency when they reach their goals, but tend to deny agency over outcomes that are discrepant from their goals, regardless of the size of the discrepancy

Summary

Introduction

Having a sense of agency is a central aspect of our daily life where goal pursuit is ubiquitous. Previous research suggests that people experience self-agency when they reach their goals, but tend to deny agency over outcomes that are discrepant from their goals, regardless of the size of the discrepancy (van der Weiden, Ruys, & Aarts, 2013). Does this mean that people would not experience themselves as the cause of goal-discrepant outcomes that occur during goal pursuit (when the goal has not yet been reached)? Do people experience self-agency during goal pursuit?

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Discussion

Conclusion