Structured Versus Unstructured Regulation: On Procedural Mindsets and the Mechanisms of Priming Effects

Abstract

We propose that two distinct regulatory dynamics may produce social psychological priming effects, but under very different conditions. When engaged in structured regulation, people process information in light of their valued goals, responding to salient situational cues only to the extent that those cues are goal-relevant. By contrast, when engaged in unstructured regulation, people are more tuned to the demands of the present, tailoring their responses to the unique circumstances of the immediate context and evincing a greater openness to responding to salient cues in a cueconsistent manner. We explore construal level as one factor that dictates when people engage in one dynamic versus the other. We also discuss the distinction between traditional priming and mindset priming.