Abstract
The present studies examined whether priming distinct motivational states influenced persistence at a task designed to promote repeated failure, and post-task plans for engaging in self-regulatory activity. Two double-blind, between-subject experiments (Study 1: N = 58; Study 2: N = 92) involved participants being randomized to Autonomous Motivation, Controlling Motivation, or Neutral prime conditions using a scrambled-sentence test. Participants then attempted an impossible persistence task that promoted repeated failure. Following, participants reported their plans to engage in exercise. Using frequentist and Bayesian analyses, Study 1, Study 2, and an internal meta-analysis showed no differences in persistence or planned exercise across priming conditions, thus contrasting with previous research. Unanticipated moderation effects or motivational priming effects being smaller than those inputted into a priori power analyses may be the most likely reasons for these findings.
Highlights
Persisting in a course of action despite difficulty or opposition represents a crucial characteristic for success in life, including high academic achievement, good physical and psychological health, and relatively higher earnings (Duckworth et al 2007; Heaven and Ciarrochi 2008; Moffitt et al 2011)
We investigated whether any anticipated effects in the first phase would influence participants plans to engage in exercise, hypothesizing that participants in the autonomous/controlling condition would plan more/less exercise, relative to a neutral condition. In both studies presented in this paper, we report how we determined our sample size, all data exclusions, all manipulations, and all measures in the study according to the recommendations made by Simmons et al (2012)
Preliminary Analysis using one-way ANOVA found no significant differences for mood, F(2,55) = .12, p = .89, Sentence Test (SST) duration, F(2,55) = .47, p = .63, or typical exercise behavior, F(2,55) = .26, p = .77, across conditions
Summary
Persisting in a course of action despite difficulty or opposition represents a crucial characteristic for success in life, including high academic achievement, good physical and psychological health, and relatively higher earnings (Duckworth et al 2007; Heaven and Ciarrochi 2008; Moffitt et al 2011). Despite these benefits, many individuals do not persist with their goals, choosing instead to respond to set-backs or difficulties by quitting (Marlatt and Donovan 2005) or opting for easier options. The aim of this research was to explore persistence and desistance from a motivational perspective
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