Cognitive Motivation Research Articles

Folk Intuitions About Free Will and Moral Responsibility: Evaluating the Combined Effects of Misunderstandings About Determinism and Motivated Cognition.

In this study, we conducted large-scale experiments with novel descriptions of determinism. Our goal was to investigate the effects of desires for punishment and comprehension errors on people's intuitions about free will and moral responsibility in deterministic scenarios. Previous research has acknowledged the influence of these factors, but their total effect has not been revealed. Using a large-scale survey of Japanese participants, we found that the failure to understand causal determination (intrusion) has limited effects relative to other factors and that the conflation of determinism and epiphenomenalism (bypassing) has a significant influence, even when controlling for other variables. This leads to the increased prevalence of incompatibilist responses. Furthermore, our results demonstrated a close association between the attribution of free will/responsibility and retributive desire. While further research is needed to establish the causal relationship between these factors, this association is consistent with Cory Clark and colleagues' study that increased desire contributes to increased compatibilist responses and their claim that a definitive intuition about free will may be elusive.

Transdiagnostic Risk Factors for Reasons for Smoking: Evaluating the Concurrent Role of Distress Tolerance and Anxiety Sensitivity.

Although rates of cigarette smoking have declined in the US, many individuals report experiencing significant barriers to quitting smoking, including poor mental health. Two prominent affective vulnerability factors that independently underlie both smoking behavior and processes and mental health include distress tolerance and anxiety sensitivity. However, limited work has examined the concurrent role of these factors on motivational reasons for smoking. The current study is a secondary analysis of baseline data from a nationally recruited sample of individuals (N = 156; Mage = 29.74, SD = 7.72; 69.2% female) interested in participating in a digitally delivered intervention for comorbid smoking and low distress tolerance. Two-step hierarchical linear regression was used to examine the unique role of self-reported distress tolerance and anxiety sensitivity in relation to reasons for smoking (i.e., habitual, negative affect reduction, addictive, pleasurable/relaxation, stimulation, and sensorimotor manipulation). Results indicated that lower levels of distress tolerance and greater levels of anxiety sensitivity were associated with greater sensorimotor manipulation reasons for smoking. Only distress tolerance was related to addictive, negative affect reduction, and stimulation reasons for smoking, whereas only anxiety sensitivity was related to habitual reasons for smoking. The current findings suggest that there is an explanatory utility for unique and multi-risk effects for distress tolerance and anxiety sensitivity for understanding smoking motives.

Why young adults consume media content about serial killers: Evidence from Russia

This article explores Russian young adults’s motives for consuming media content related to serial killers. Based on a sociological perspective of consumption, the research integrates concepts such as consumerism and “new hedonism” postulated by Campbell with Giddens’s structuration theory and Goffman’s stigma theory. We argue that consumerists’ motivations and images of serial killers are products of modernity. A total of 26 semi-structured online interviews were conducted with young adults aged 18–35 years from 14 cities in Russia. We then performed a thematic qualitative analysis using the AtlasTI software. Our findings show that consumers of media content about serial killers have two main categories of motives: cognitive and emotional. Cognitive motives could be viewed through the lens of the need for ontological security, an attempt to study a potential threat. Emotional motives were associated with satisfying the consumerist need for constant emotional stimulation and pleasure. Future studies may focus on classifying audiences based on their motives for consuming serial-killer media content and examining correlations with consumption practices as well as the supply-side motives of producing this type of content.

The Roles of Identity- and Belief-Driven Motivated Reasoning and Source Credibility in Persuasion on Climate Change Policy

The Roles of Identity- and Belief-Driven Motivated Reasoning and Source Credibility in Persuasion on Climate Change Policy

Formation of students’ subject skills in mathematics in the process of digital didactic game

The work is devoted to the study of the problem of gamification of mathematics teaching in primary school using methods of studying pedagogical experience, comparing and generalizing the results of observations, analyzing scientific articles and the content and structure of didactic games in mathematics. The urgency of the problem is due to the digital transformation of education currently taking place. Digitalization of education in the context of teaching mathematics in primary school entails the need to develop new learning tools. Such teaching tools should contribute to the development of students’ mathematical skills, while meeting the needs of students of the digital generation for the form of information presentation. Digital didactic games can be used as an effective means of teaching mathematics at school. The potential of such games in the formation of students’ mathematical and logical skills, cognitive motivation is indicated. In the mathematical content of the game, it is proposed to provide for a change of types of educational activities. This will expand the range of skills formed through digital play, make it more dynamic and interesting for students, which will contribute to their involuntary learning. To develop the skills to perform various graphical constructions using the tools of modern graphical calculators, it is proposed to include tasks at certain stages of the game, for which digital tools can be used (online calculators, electronic programs, mobile applications, etc.). The conclusion is made about the expediency of using digital didactic games in the process of teaching mathematics to schoolchildren.

Taking motivating reasons’ deliberative role seriously

Taking motivating reasons’ deliberative role seriously

Анализ взаимосвязей предикторов академической успеваемости школьников методом сетевого моделирования

<p>The problem of studying the factors influencing students’ academic achievement does not lose its relevance in modern psychological and pedagogical science. Such interest arises due to current development of ideas about education as a way of developing human capital, increasing well-being and quality of life of people in modern society. The academic achievement of schoolchildren is largely determined by non-cognitive factors, including personality characteristics, motivational indicators and the development of self-regulation. The present work aims to analyze the relationships between non-cognitive predictors of academic achievement of middle and high school students using the network modeling method. Primary data was obtained using the following methods: V.I. Morosanova’s “The Self-Regulation Profile of Learning Activity Questionnaire (SRPLAQ)”, “Academic Motivation Scale - School (AMS-S)”, “Attitude towards learning in middle and high school”, “Big Five Questionnaire — Children version, BFQ-C”. The average score in Russian language and mathematics was used as an indicator of academic achievement. The sample consisted of 307 secondary school students (37.1% boys, age: 10-18 years). The statistical analysis included calculation of descriptive statistics for 28 indicators, and analyses of partial correlation networks, describing the relationships between regulatory and personality variables, as well as the academic achievement of students in grades 5-6, 7-9 and 10-11. The results revealed significant relationships between variables regardless of the period of education, and differences in the structure of partial correlation networks in grades 5-6, 7-8 and 9-11. It was found that the nature of the relationships between non-cognitive predictors and academic achievement varies depending on the period of study. The result showed that the achievement of students in grades 5-6 is significantly and directly correlated to the indicator of openness to new experience, while in grades 7-9 a direct correlation is also found with the general level of attitude towards learning, and in grades 10-11 - with cognitive motivation, neuroticism and conscious self-regulation. The results confirm the known relationships, and also reveal new ones that were not previously discovered in existing research: for example, a negative relationship between academic performance and cognitive motivation. The article concludes with directions for further research of moderator-mediator interactions between non-cognitive variables in their impact on students’ academic achievement.</p>

Understanding Potential Mechanisms of Vaping Prevention Messages: A Mediation Analysis of the Real Cost Campaign Advertisements.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) developed a public education campaign, The Real Cost, that reduced youth susceptibility to tobacco product use. We sought to identify the mechanisms that may underlie the impact of The Real Cost ads on susceptibility to vaping to inform youth tobacco prevention campaigns. Our online randomized controlled trial (clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04836455) examined a large sample of U.S. adolescents (n = 1,348) who had multiple exposures to Real Cost ads or control videos over a 3-week period in 2021. To examine potential mediating pathways between The Real Cost ads and susceptibility to vaping, we examined theory-based psychosocial and message-related variables. The largest impact of The Real Cost ads on susceptibility was via more negative attitudes toward vaping (βa*βb = -0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [-0.25, -0.06]). Other mediation paths were via improved health harm risk beliefs (βa*βb = -0.08; 95% CI = [-0.13, -0.04]), addiction risk beliefs (βa*βb = -0.04; 95% CI = [-0.06, -0.01]), injunctive norms against vaping (βa*βb = -0.05; 95% CI = [-0.09, -0.02]), negative affect (βa*βb = -0.05; 95% CI = [-0.08, -0.02]), and cognitive elaboration (βa*βb = -0.03; 95% CI = [-0.05, -0.003]). Our findings suggest that ads that target negative attitudes may decrease susceptibility to vaping among youth. Our findings also introduce normative pressure as a novel factor that may be important for vaping prevention messages.

Assessing Theoretical Mediators of Campaign-Induced Communication in the Context of Social Norms Campaign

ABSTRACT The present paper examines the role of campaign-induced communication on the effects of a social norms campaign by focusing on cognitive elaboration, perceived injunctive norms, and message recall as mediating variables. Participants (n = 252; m age = 20.26) read an injunctive norms campaign message about choosing not to drink at parties or when socializing and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (control: received no prompts, prompt only; received prompts to engage in interpersonal communication about the campaign message with close others during the following week; prompt & plan: received prompts to engage in interpersonal communication with close others during the following week and to write a plan for the communication). The results revealed that the prompt (either alone or with the plan) significantly motivated participants to engage in positive conversations about the campaign message during the next week. Similar to past findings, higher frequency of positive conversations about the campaign message indirectly predicted better behavioral outcomes via higher cognitive elaboration. The findings suggest that social norms campaign developers should be encouraged to design social norms messages with a brief prompt to motivate the target audience to engage in interpersonal communication and need to account for such interpersonal communication and its indirect effects in evaluating campaign messages.

Relative efficacy of cigarillo warning statements in text and pictorial formats: An experimental study among a sample of US young adults.

Health warning labels (HWLs) communicate the health risks of cigar use and can decrease use when on cigar packages. This study assessed the relative efficacy of six FDA-proposed individual warning statements in text and pictorial format. A sample of young adults (ages 18-29) were randomized to a text or pictorial warning condition on generic cigarillo packages. The warning statements were about lung cancer and heart disease; cancers of the mouth and throat; secondhand smoke; not a safe alternative; nicotine/addiction; and harm to baby. Negative emotional reactions, cognitive elaboration, and perceived message effectiveness (PME) were assessed for each warning using linear mixed models. Of the 661 participants, 47.3% reported ever cigarillo smoking, 32.7% current smoking, and 20% were susceptible. In the pictorial format, cancers of the mouth and throat elicited lower levels of anxiety compared to secondhand smoke, not a safe alternative, nicotine/addiction, and harm to baby (ps<0.001). Pictorial HWLs with human imagery induced high anxiety, sadness, fear, and guilt reactions (p<0.001) and higher PME (p=0.011) compared to pictorial HWLs with diseased body parts. Compared to the text HWL cancers of the mouth and throat, the text HWL harm to baby elicited higher anxiety (p=0.003), sadness (p=0.002) and PME (p<0.001). Pictorial HWLs depicting people or human imagery, rather than images of diseased organs or body parts, to represent health effects elicited the most negative emotional reactions, such as anxiety and guilt, and higher PME. Including such images and texts highlighting effects on vulnerable populations like babies can better communicate cigarillo health risks, aiming to curb cigarillo use among young people. The study suggests that pictorial health warning labels (HWLs) with human imagery significantly enhance the communication of cigarillo smoking risks compared to images of diseased organs. These HWLs evoke stronger emotional responses, particularly anxiety and guilt, and higher perceived message effectiveness by depicting a recognizable person. Furthermore, text-only warnings describing the smoking effect on vulnerable populations such as babies might have a higher impact on young adults. This evidence supports a strategic shift in FDA policies to include such impactful images and texts, which could potentially lead to a significant reduction in cigarillo use among young people. Our findings underscore the urgent need for continued research and implementation of these enhanced warning labels to improve public health outcomes.

Exploring Implicit and Explicit Affective Responses to Graphic Health Warnings on Cigarette Packages in Colombia

Graphic health warnings (GHWs) are regarded a highly cost-effective public policy to communicate the health risks involved in smoking, mainly when they trigger negative emotional reactions. GHWs promote intentions to quit among smokers and prevent smoking initiation among non-smokers. In three experiments, we study how smokers and nonsmokers differ in implicit and explicit measures of emotional reactions towards GHWs. Experiment 1 used the Self-Assessment Manikin to measure explicit emotional (arousal and valence) ratings for six warnings published in tobacco products. Experiment 2 was similar to Experiment 1 but smokers and nonsmokers rated a new set of 36 GHWs not yet published. Experiment 3 used an implicit task, the Affect Misattribution Procedure, to evaluate and compare the affective responses to GHWs provided by smokers and non-smokers. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that smokers explicitly reported weaker negative emotional reactions to both familiar and unfamiliar GHWs compared to nonsmokers. Experiment 3 showed similar levels of negative implicit emotional responses among smokers and nonsmokers. Our data suggest that the decreased affective response involves high-order cognitive elaboration and evaluations of the messages conveyed by GHW, while early negative emotions triggered by the graphic component of the warnings similarly affect smokers and non-smokers. We propose that implicit measures may serve as additional and inexpensive tools for dissociating explicit biased affective responses of smokers towards GHWs from automatic emotional responses. In particular, the affect misattribution procedure may help to design warnings that communicate the risks of smoking but prevent adverse outcomes such as cognitive dissonance.

Being understood

AbstractPhilosophical work in the ethics of thought focuses heavily on the ethics of belief, with, in recent years, a particular emphasis on the ways in which we might wrong other people either through our beliefs about them, or our failure to believe what they tell us. Yet in our own lives we often want not merely to be believed, but rather to be understood by others. What does it take to understand another person? In this paper, I provide an account of interpersonal understanding that speaks to this widespread human desire to be understood by others. On the view I defend, to be understood by another person is for them to see our motivating reasons as justifying reasons, whether or not they actually take our reasons to have that normative force. I then provide an explanation of why such understanding is valuable in our lives, which emphasizes how being understood by another person is a way of being more fully with them.

Approach and withdrawal from cognitively effortful activities: Development, validation, and transdiagnostic clinical utility of a cognitive motivation scale

BackgroundDeficits in cognition and motivation predict functioning in depressive and psychotic disorders. However, experimental tasks of cognitive motivation are inconsistently correlated with functioning, time-intensive, and not intuitive in clinical practice. We aimed to develop and validate a self-report instrument to assess motivation processes pertinent to engagement with cognitive activities in daily life. MethodFollowing item generation, scale dimensionality, reliability, and validity were evaluated iteratively over Studies 1–3 with online general adult participants (n1 = 205; n2 = 235; n3 = 181). The 20-item Cognitive Motivation scale was also validated in a Study 3 sub-sample reporting high levels of depressive symptoms (n = 74) and Study 4 early psychosis outpatients (n = 25). ResultsTwo-factor model of cognitive approach and cognitive withdrawal, each with good internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity was supported. Cognitive withdrawal showed stronger associations with cognitive difficulties, depressive symptoms, and functional impairments than traditional motivation scale. Participants reporting high depression levels showed more severe difficulties with cognitive motivation than participants reporting low depression levels. In early psychosis outpatients, correlations with functioning and cognitive effort expenditure provided support for scale validity. LimitationsCross-sectional data collection restricted evaluation of repeated administration psychometric properties. Scale validation was mostly established in online community samples and a small patient sample during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby limiting generalizability of clinical applications. ConclusionsCognitive Motivation scale is a promising tool for future intervention trials seeking to target motivational processes associated with functioning in the general population and potentially across patient groups with amotivation symptoms.

Child and Family Predictors for Mastery Motivation in Children With Developmental Delays.

Motivation is a key factor for child development, but very few studies have examined child and family predictors of both child task and perceived motivation. Thus, the three aims of this 6-month longitudinal study in preschoolers with global developmental delays (GDD) were to explore: 1) differences between task and perceived motivation in cognitive domain; 2) differences among three domains of perceived motivation: cognitive, gross motor, and social; and 3) early child and family predictors of cognitive task motivation and the three domains of perceived motivation 6 months later. Results indicated that preschoolers with GDD showed higher cognitive task motivation than cognitive perceived motivation, and lower perceived cognitive motivation than the other two perceived motivation domains. Different child and family factors predicted cognitive task motivation and the three domains of perceived motivation. Practitioners should educate caregivers on how to observe children's motivation to enhance children's active participation.

Peculiarities of the influence of the level of motivation for cognitive activities on the development of future teachers’ intellectual abilities

Introduction. The article considers the problem of developing Education students’ intellectual abilities at different levels of their cognitive motivation. The purpose of the study is to reveal how low and high levels of motivation for cognitive activities influence the development of the psychological system of intellectual abilities in different periods of Education students’ learning and professional activities. Materials and Methods. The study follows the system-genetic variant of the activity-based approach, which enables the authors to explain the influence of personality abilities (motivation) on the development of the abilities of the subject of the activity (intellectual abilities). The main methods employed include a survey, testing, analysis of regulatory documents and scholarly literature on the research problems. The sample consisted in 156 undergraduate students majoring in Education. Results. The authors have revealed a nonlinear nature of the influence of cognitive motivation on the development of intellectual abilities of Education students. It was found that an increase in cognitive motivation does not lead to an increase in absolute indicators of intellectual abilities and the level of general intelligence; its influence is manifested in a change in the structural organization of intellectual abilities in different periods of learning and professional activities. A high level of cognitive motivation ensures successful restructuring of intellectual abilities at the beginning of teacher training, testing new methods of intellectual activities in the middle of the degree course, optimization of the structure of intelligence at the end of studying. Thus, the influence of cognitive motivation on intellectual development is mediated by the acquisition of experience in educational and professional activities, requiring testing different methods of arranging students’ intellectual activities. Conclusions. Managing the process of developing motivation and intellectual abilities in a future teacher should take into account the complex nature of relationships between these psychological phenomena. The effect of pedagogical influence on motivation and, as a consequence, intellectual development is of a delayed nature, mediated by the acquisition of experience in solving educational and professional problems by future teachers at different stages of pursuing the degree programme.

Contingent Effects of E-Cigarette Warning Label Messages on Cognitive Elaboration and Fear Among U.S. Youth Ages 14-17 by Vaping Experience and Peer Vaping Behavior.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently requires a warning about the addictive nature of nicotine to be placed on electronic cigarette advertisements and packaging. To consider the value of additional warning messages on public health outcomes, this study examines the additive effect of new warnings that are based on recent claims from U.S. federal authorities. We conducted a secondary analysis of recent data from 1,202 U.S. youth ages 14-17 to test the impact of exposure to additional warnings placed on advertisements for vaping products on cognitive elaboration, fear, and willingness to vape and smoke. This investigation also looked closely at effects on youth who may have increased risk of future vaping due to prior vaping experiences or having friends who vape. Exposure to the alternative warnings did not amplify cognitive elaboration compared to the current FDA warning alone, but it did increase fear. Youth elaboration on both the benefits and risks of vaping was associated with willingness to both vape and smoke, but fear was not associated with either outcome. The effects of warning label exposure and cognitive elaboration varied by prior vaping experience and having at least one friend who vapes. We conclude by discussing the implications of this contingent pattern of effect and association.

A Review of Social Semiotics in the Interaction of Text and Image

As the major form of anti-epidemic promotion in network media, anti-epidemic promotion picture applies diversified multi-modal symbol resources in the construction of meaning. By exploring the interactive relationship between visual grammar and conceptual metaphor/metonymy, a joint multimodal research framework is created to clarify the meaning construction and mechanism contained in anti-epidemic pictures. The research shows that conceptual metaphor and conceptual metonymy not only provide cognitive motivation for the realization of visual grammar, but also inspire the associations of images to the real world. Visual Grammar highlights the cognitive meaning expression of conceptual metaphor and metonymy, stimulates readers’ interpretation of conceptual metaphor and metonymy. The research explores the combination of two mainstream multimodal research paths, and provides a new perspective for multimodal discourse analysis practice.

Multimodal Meaning Construction of Anti-Pandemic Promotion Picture from the Semiotic-Congnitive Perspective

As the major form of anti-epidemic promotion in network media, anti-epidemic promotion picture applies diversified multi-modal symbol resources in the construction of meaning. By exploring the interactive relationship between visual grammar and conceptual metaphor/metonymy, a joint multimodal research framework is created to clarify the meaning construction and mechanism contained in anti-epidemic pictures. The research shows that conceptual metaphor and conceptual metonymy not only provide cognitive motivation for the realization of visual grammar, but also inspire the associations of images to the real world. Visual Grammar highlights the cognitive meaning expression of conceptual metaphor and metonymy, stimulates readers’ interpretation of conceptual metaphor and metonymy. The research explores the combination of two mainstream multimodal research paths, and provides a new perspective for multimodal discourse analysis practice.

Promoting active living through behaviour change among low-income communities in El Paso, TX: a community-based campaign

ABSTRACT The lack of physical activity has become one of the major public health concerns in the general population leading to obesity, which has significant consequences on health and the economy. Programs focusing on increasing opportunities for active living are a powerful way to prevent obesity and promote a healthy lifestyle. This project aimed to promote the existing Playa Drain Trail as a safe place for active living among low-income communities in El Paso, TX. A total of 281 adults attended four community events and completed post-event surveys regarding their awareness and the use of Playa Drain Trail. Although two thirds of the attendees indicated they were aware of the trail's existence, most attendees reported not using the trail regularly, primarily due to safety and motivational reasons. This project demonstrated that in less-resourced communities, well-designed and regularly evaluated campaigns with high visibility can be an effective first step in increasing population participation in physical activity.

Unpacking the relationship between cultural diversity and workgroup creativity

PurposeThis study aimed to illustrate the conditions under which cultural diversity enhances workgroup creativity. It does so by investigating the impact of ethnic diversity on workgroup creativity through the mediating mechanisms of cognitive diversity and information elaboration, while also exploring the role of inclusive leadership in this process.Design/methodology/approachMulti-source data was collected from a sample of 338 employees nested within 56 workgroups across three distinct organizations. Conditional process analysis was used to empirically test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that ethnic diversity, a surface-level cultural attribute, contributed to diversity in deep-level cognitive resources, and that workgroups were able to capitalize on these variations in deep-level cognitive resources to enhance their creativity when they engaged in the elaboration of task-relevant information. Results also demonstrated that the effective management of workgroup processes through inclusive leadership helped materialize the performance-promoting effects of cultural diversity. Overall, the findings support the notion that cultural diversity is indeed beneficial to workgroups.Originality/valuePrior research has typically examined cultural diversity in workgroups from the perspective of either surface-level or deep-level cultural attributes, leading to conflicting findings. Our study takes a multifaceted approach to cultural diversity and its influence on workgroup creativity, offering a more nuanced understanding. Additionally, by integrating the concept of inclusive leadership, a relatively new conceptualization of leadership specifically relevant to diverse workgroups, we clarified strategies for fostering positive workgroup performance.