Self-reported Motives Research Articles

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and cigarette smoking: an initial cross-sectional test of mechanisms of co-occurrence

ABSTRACT Tobacco addiction and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS; intrusive thoughts or impulses that cause distress and rituals) are both mediated by compulsivity and negative reinforcement. Little evidence exists to guide theory, research, treatment, and population-based prevention of this co-occurrence. We propose a conceptual model of OCS-smoking co-occurrence in which smokers with elevated OCS capitalize on smoking to assuage OCS. This secondary analysis examined associations between OCS levels and self-reported smoking motives that are model-concordant: i) negative reinforcement—smoking for relief; ii) sensorimotor—benefits of behaviors and sensations of the tobacco self-administration ritual; and iii) habitual—smoking without conscious control. A community sample of cigarette smokers enrolled in a cessation trial (N = 458; 47.2% female; M age = 36.9; SD = 13.6) completed pre-quit self-report measures of OCS levels and smoking motives. Regression models adjusted for sociodemographic covariates and non-OCS psychopathologies indicated that OCS level was positively associated with each model-concordant motive. OCS level was also correlated with tobacco dependence severity and greater withdrawal symptom severity experienced during previous quit attempts. Those with higher OCS report greater motivation to smoke for negative reinforcement, sensorimotor behavioral-ritualistic, habit/automaticity, and stimulation reasons. Further examination of the proposed model of OCS-smoking co-occurrence is warranted to guide theory and intervention for this population.

Marijuana Use and Achievement Motives: An Exploratory Analysis of Self-Reported Health Among Adult Cannabis Consumers

The purpose of this study was to explore self-reported physical health and achievement motives in a sample of adult cannabis consumers. An online target sample ( n = 181) of adult cannabis consumers ( M = 38 yoa) was obtained from a cannabis tourism company in Colorado. Physical health and the primary benefit of cannabis use were self-reported and achievement motives were measured using the revised 10-item version of the Achievement Motives Scale (AMS). Results revealed five categories of benefit from cannabis consumption: stress/anxiety reduction (40%), pain/disease management (38.5%), thinking/introspection (11%), alternative drug (7.1%), and enhanced sociability (3%). t test results revealed no significant differences between the stress/anxiety and pain/disease groups in self-reported health (SRH), AMS dimensions, or cannabis consumption preferences. Regression results revealed that AMS factor fear of failure ( b = −0.224, p = .003), followed by cannabis spending per week ( b = −0.217, p = .024) best predicted SRH.

Policies, profits, networks, or duty? Donors’ motivations for contributing to parties and interest groups

ABSTRACT Understanding variation in donors’ motivations for contributing to parties, interest groups, and candidates is increasingly important for fundraising success in an era in which joint fundraising committees and online bundling platforms provide expanded opportunities for collaborative fundraising efforts. However, the motivations of party and interest group contributors remain understudied. Using questions from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study of 2016 in a series of logistic models, I investigate donors’ self-reported motives for contributing to parties, interest groups, and congressional candidates. I find party and interest group donors share a distinct desire to socially network with other donors whereas donors to House and Senate candidates respectively seek to influence public policy and to help their businesses. Civic duty is the only joint motivation underlying candidate and party contributing; otherwise, motivations for contributing to congressional candidates versus parties and interest groups are found to be distinct from one another.

Clueless: An ethnographic study of young men who participate in the seduction community with a focus on their psychosocial well-being and mental health.

In the last decade, a cross-national community of like-minded young men has emerged, commonly known as ‘the seduction community’. This community is led by professional ‘pick-up artists’ who teach these young men a variety of techniques and mindsets with the stated aim of improving their success with women, or ‘game’. There has been little research on the men who participate in this community, and none from a mental health angle. As such, this study is propelled by two specific objectives, namely documenting and understanding (i) the reasons why young men join the seduction community; and (ii) the impacts of community involvement on participants’ lives. To meet these aims, we used an inductive qualitative methodology giving ample scope for bottom-up understandings to emerge. Specifically, we recruited young men participating in the seduction community for an in-depth qualitative interview (N = 34) to explore self-reported motives and impacts. Interviews were augmented by lengthy participant observation, and data was analyzed by content analysis techniques. The results reveal that men often join the community to address a range of psychosocial deficits, and that community involvement successfully equips participants with numerous valued social and communication skills. The community appears to fill a void in providing a place of hope, fellowship and learning for young (often immigrant) men. The findings are summarized in five themes (i) loneliness and social inclusion; (ii) lack of male role models and need for guidance; (iii) mental health and well-being issues; (iv) skill acquisition and personal development; and (v) the dark side of pick-up. Interestingly, some of the practices commonly taught and utilized within the community resemble aspects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mental health peer support. This may explain its evident appeal. We conclude by reflecting on the implications of the findings for official mental health service provision for young men.

Potions for Emotions: Do self-reported individual differences in negative-emotional drinking predict alcohol consumption in the laboratory following exposure to a negative experience?

AimsResearch suggests that self-reports on inferred motives for engaging in behavior may be biased by limited introspective access into such processes. Self-reports on observable behavior, on the other hand, may generate more accurate responses with which to predict behavior. The aim was to determine whether drinking alcohol in response to negative emotion (negative-emotional drinking; NED) is best predicted by self-reported individual differences in (a) motives to use alcohol to regulate negative emotion, or (b) the degree to which negative emotion impacts alcohol consumption (observable behavior). MethodsThirty-nine beer drinkers completed the Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R) which measures individual differences in drinking motives, including the motive to regulate negative emotion (coping motives). They also completed a new self-report measure of the degree to which negative emotion impacts their alcohol consumption. Participants were randomized into a negative emotion induction condition or control condition and completed a subsequent alcohol consumption task to serve as a behavioral measure of drinking in response to negative emotion. ResultsSelf-reports on the degree to which negative emotion impacts respondents’ alcohol consumption strongly predicted alcohol consumption in the negative emotion induction condition (r = 0.72, p = <.001) and not in the control condition (r = 0.09, p = .696). Self-reported coping motives did not predict alcohol consumption in either condition. ConclusionsThe amount of alcohol consumed in response to negative emotion is best predicted by self-reports on observable behavior, and not by self-reports on drinking motives.

The effect of tutor-specific and other motivational factors on student retention on Icelandic Online

This article presents an analysis of tracking and survey data collected over eight years on 400 users of one of seven Icelandic Online (IOL) courses: IOL 2; an open online program in Icelandic as a second language. The course is offered in three delivery modes; blended, distance, and open self-directed mode. This article introduces the second phase of a three-tiered mixed-method study and follows up previous findings on IOL that drew on tracking data from 43,000 learners, which revealed overall low completion rates and that the blended mode is more effective in retaining learners than other modes (Friðriksdóttir, 2018). The main goal of the current study is to identify factors which may affect student retention on IOL, and which may explain why the blended mode is more effective. This study attempts to assess whether (a) the initial goal to complete a course and (b) certain tutor-specific factors influence retention, and also to investigate (c) self-reported motives that drive learners towards completing. The findings reveal that the intent to complete is a significant predictor of course completion and that the majority of blended learners had the initial goal of completing. Furthermore, the study illuminates that most of the learners in the tutorial modes report that tutor-specific factors were important in motivating them. Finally, course completers report diverse reasons for completion; the majority of the blended learners are driven in their goal to complete by the credits offered.

Relations Between Parental Distress Intolerance, Adolescent Motives for Cigarette Use, and Adolescent Cigarette Smoking Levels

Background: A relatively large body of evidence indicates that coping motives for cigarette smoking are associated with a number of problematic outcomes (e.g., greater smoking frequency) among adolescents. Evidence also indicates that lower distress tolerance (or higher distress intolerance) is related to higher levels of coping motives for cigarette smoking among adults and adolescents. Therefore, it is critical to improve our understanding of factors that may increase the likelihood of smoking to cope among adolescents. In addition, evidence suggests that a number of parenting behaviors may affect adolescent smoking behavior. No work to date, however, has examined the relation between parental distress intolerance and adolescent smoking motives, or adolescent smoking behavior. Objective/methods: The current study involving adolescents (n = 46) and one of their parents aimed to address this gap in the literature by examining the association between parent-reported parental distress intolerance, self-reported adolescent motives for cigarette use, and self-reported adolescent cigarette smoking levels. Results: Results indicated that parental distress intolerance was related to greater adolescent coping motives for cigarette smoking, but not to other motives for adolescent cigarette use. Furthermore, results indicated that parental distress intolerance was indirectly associated with higher adolescent cigarette smoking levels through adolescent coping motives for cigarette smoking. Conclusions: Parental distress intolerance is associated with coping motives for adolescent cigarette smoking. This suggests parental emotional factors may be associated with adolescent cigarette use.

Patients believe that cosmetic procedures affect their quality of life: An interview study of patient-reported motivations

Although treatmentsto address cosmetic concerns are common, patients' self-reported motives for considering such procedures have not been systematically explored. To develop a framework of categories to describe patients' self-reported motivations for undergoing minimally invasive cosmetic procedures. Face-to-face, semistructured patient interviews were conducted with adult participants who had undergone or were considering minimally invasive cosmetic dermatologic procedures. A qualitative constant comparative approach was used to analyze interview transcripts, yielding themes and subthemes. A total of 30 interviews were completed. Most patient-reported motivations for cosmetic procedures could be subsumed under 8 general categories (themes): (1) mental and emotional health, (2)cosmetic appearance, (3) physical health, (4) work and/or school success, (5) social well-being, (6) cost and/or convenience, (7) procedural perceptions, and (8) timing of treatment. Many individual motivations in these categories were unrelated to desire for physical beauty. In particular, participants wanted to avoid being self-conscious, enhance confidence, reduce the time and expense required to conceal physical imperfections, and be perceived as capable at work. Only English-speaking patients in the United States were interviewed. Patient-reported motivations for cosmetic procedures mostly pertained to physical and psychosocial well-being. Indeed, a desire for improved cosmetic appearance was only 1 of the 8 themes revealed through the patient interviews.

Aspirations and Motivations for Facebook Use Through Sem Modeling

Facebook is one of the most pervasive social networking sites in the world. Growing out of a humble Harvard cataloging project, Facebook has over 2 billion monthly active users (Facebook Newsroom, 2017). This paper will explore the motivations for such widespread use of this technology. The study of Facebook user motivations is not a new endeavor (E.g. Quan-Haase &amp; Young, 2010; Knowles, Haycock, and Shaikh, 2015; Kross et al.,2013). Generally, there seems to be a consensus that Facebook is able to provide a social outlet and platform of potential connection for users. However, these explicit self-reported motives beg the question of what are the underlying implicit needs or desires driving the action of joining Facebook? What do people actually get out of maintaining a digital presence there? Uses and Gratifications Theory (U&amp;G) considers how people benefit from mass communication (Katz, Blumer, &amp; Gurevitch (1974). Contrary to early theories where users were just passive consumers of whatever a particular media put in front of them, Quan-Haase &amp; Young, 2010 found six factors of Facebook use gratifications; these factors were pastime, affection, fashion, share problems, sociability, and social information. Self-Determination Theory (SD-Theory) is a meta-framework for defining and classifying different types of motivations in relation to individual differences and social context (Deci &amp; Ryan,1985, 2000). SD-Theory postulates that evolutionarily, humans have three basic psychological needs. According to this view, we have the need for competency, autonomy, and relatedness. Besides psychological needs, another measured component of SD-Theory is life goals, also known as aspirations (Kasser &amp; Ryan, 1993;1996). Aspirations are life goals one has, based on the values one holds; and are normally divided into two categories. Intrinsic aspirations (IA) are such things as meaningful relationships, individual growth, and community contributions. Extrinsic aspirations (EA) encompass wealth, fame, and image; they are beholden to the judgements of other people and tend to be more of a hoop to jump through rather than an end goal (Kasser &amp; Ryan, 1996). The Two-Process Model (TPM) ties Self-Determination Theory together with personal goal and motive disposition constructs (Sheldon &amp; Schüler, 2011). According to TPM all humans have basic needs, but there will be individual differences in motives. A weak experience of competency, autonomy, or/and relatedness (i.e., strong need requirements) was found to provoke motivation to improve the situation (Sheldon and Gunz, 2009). Sheldon, Abad, and Hinsch (2011) built upon these findings by measuring connection and disconnection in Facebook use. The purpose for this study was to investigate whether different types of aspirations (intrinsic or extrinsic) predicted connection and disconnection, and whether Facebook motives mediate this relationship. Participants were 424 college students from a large university in central Florida. Participant gender is 255 female and 167 male, with two not indicating a gender. Participants age range was from 18 to 59 (M=20.8, SD=4.9) years. Three surveys were administered through an online Qualtrics system. Surveys measured aspirations, social connection, and Facebook use. Structural equation modeling analysis was then conducted to produce several models. Direct effects were found between EA and connectedness, as well as IA and connectedness. IA and EA were both shown to predict Facebook motives. However, Facebook motives were found not to mediate the relationship between aspirations and connectedness.

Self-reported quantity, compulsiveness and motives of exercise in patients with eating disorders and healthy controls: differences and similarities

BackgroundCompulsive exercise (CE) is a frequent symptom in patients with eating disorders (EDs). It includes, in addition to quantitatively excessive exercise behaviour, a driven aspect and specific motives of exercise. CE is generally associated with worse therapy outcomes. The aims of the study were to compare self-reported quantity of exercise, compulsiveness of exercise as well as motives for exercise between patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) and healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we wanted to explore predictors of compulsive exercise (CE) in each group.MethodsWe investigated 335 female participants (n = 226 inpatients, n = 109 HC) and assessed self-reported quantity of exercise, compulsiveness of exercise (Compulsive Exercise Test), motives for exercise (Exercise Motivations Inventory-2), ED symptoms (Eating Disorder Inventory-2), obsessive-compulsiveness (Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised), general psychopathology (Brief Symptom Inventory-18) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-2).ResultsBoth patients with AN and BN exercised significantly more hours per week and showed significantly higher CE than HC; no differences were found between patients with AN and BN. Patients with EDs and HC also partly varied in motives for exercise. Specific motives were enjoyment, challenge, recognition and weight management in patients with EDs in contrast to ill-health avoidance and affiliation in HC. Patients with AN and BN only differed in regard to exercise for appearance reasons in which patients with BN scored higher. The most relevant predictor of CE across groups was exercise for weight and shape reasons.ConclusionsExercise behaviours and motives differ between patients with EDs and HC. CE was pronounced in both patients with AN and BN. Therefore, future research should focus not only on CE in patients with AN, but also on CE in patients with BN. Similarities in CE in patients with AN and BN support a transdiagnostic approach during the development of interventions specifically targeting CE in patients with EDs.

Betting to deal: coping motives mediate the relationship between urgency and Problem gambling severity

Background and aims: Elevated impulsivity traits, particularly negative and positive urgency, have been identified as robust predictors of problem gambling. However, the mechanisms that link urgency to problem gambling remain unknown. The present research examined whether self-reported gambling motives (social, coping, enhancement, financial) mediated the association between urgency and problem gambling severity.Methods: The sample consisted of 564 community gamblers (52.1% female; M age =36.10, SD = 11.25) including 156 (27.7%) who were classified as moderate risk gamblers and 141 (25%) as problem gamblers.Results: The mediation analyzes revealed that both negative and positive urgency were associated with problem gambling severity. Coping was the only motive that mediated these associations. The pattern of results remained the same when the analyzes were restricted to problem gamblers and when controlling for days gambled and money spent in the past 30 days.Conclusions: The desire to alleviate strong emotional states (negative or positive) maybe an important determinant of problem gambling. Furthermore, results indicate that treatment initiatives for problem gambling may benefit from including training for clients in alternative and more adaptive coping strategies for the effective management of intense affective states.

Effects of alcohol intoxication on self-reported drinking patterns, expectancies, motives and personality: a randomized controlled experimental study.

Alcohol intoxication may affect self-reports of alcohol use and related constructs, such as impulsivity and dependence symptoms. Improved knowledge about potential systematic reporting biases induced by alcohol, e.g. through disinhibition, may be relevant for the assessment of intoxicated individuals both in clinical routine and research. We therefore randomly assigned 54 socially drinking males aged 18 to 19 without lifetime diagnosis of DSM-IV alcohol dependence to one of two experimental arms: either placebo infusion at day 1 and alcohol infusion at day 2, or vice versa. The lab-based intravenous alcohol infusion produced a constant blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent. On each day, participants completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, as well as other questionnaires on alcohol expectancies, drinking motives and substance use-related temperament traits. We found that alcohol significantly increased self-reported expectancies (tension reduction) and motives (conformity; η2 =.16-.23), but we observed no effect of sequence, i.e. alcohol first versus placebo first (Pcorr ≥.118). High baseline alcohol expectancies did not moderate alcohol effects (Pcorr ≥.462). We conclude that moderate alcohol intoxication might not generally affect the reliability of self-reported alcohol use, alcohol use problems and psychological concepts related to drinking behavior in young males without alcohol dependence. Future studies could examine larger, less selective and clinical samples for possible alcohol effects on self-report measures related to alcohol consumption.

Motives and perceptions regarding electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use among adults with mental health conditions

BackgroundSmoking rates are disproportionately high among adults with mental health conditions (MHC), and recent research suggests that among former smokers, those with MHC are more likely to use electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). This study investigated reasons for ENDS use and related risk perceptions among individuals with versus without MHC. MethodsAmong adult current ENDS users (n=550), associations between self-reported MHC diagnoses and motives for ENDS use and ENDS risk perceptions were examined, stratified by smoking status. ResultsThere were no significant associations between MHC status and ENDS motives or perceptions in the overall sample. However, current smokers with MHC indicated thinking more about how ENDS might improve their health, and former smokers with MHC reported thinking less about how ENDS might harm their health, compared to their counterparts without MHC. Former smokers with MHC rated several reasons for ENDS use (e.g., less harmful than regular cigarettes; to quit smoking; appealing flavors) as more important than did those without MHC. ConclusionsCurrent and former smokers with MHC may be especially optimistic about health benefits of ENDS. However, they might also be prone to health risks of continued ENDS use or concurrent use with traditional cigarettes. It will be important for public health messaging to provide this population with accurate information about benefits and risks of ENDS.

Personality and selfies: Narcissism and the Dark Triad

Selfies, or pictures taken of oneself and shared on social media, have become a worldwide phenomenon. In the present research, we examine the relationship between narcissism, both vulnerable and grandiose, and the frequency of and motivations behind selfie-taking. The Dark Triad of personality (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) and self-esteem were also measured. In Study 1, 348 adults on Amazon Mturk completed measures of personality, demographics, and several questions about selfie behavior online. In Study 2, 491 undergraduate students completed the same measures and a subset of these provided access to their Instagram and Iconosquare accounts, which were rated for narcissism by naive judges. Results from both studies indicate that grandiose narcissism is associated with taking and posting more selfies, experiencing more positive affect when taking selfies, and self-reported self-presentation motives. The Dark Triad traits resembled grandiose narcissism. Vulnerable narcissism was associated with negative affect when taking selfies. Self-esteem was unrelated to selfie-taking.

(Mis)use of Prescribed Stimulants in the Medical Student Community: Motives and Behaviors: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of psychostimulant use in the French medical community and their motives.A population-based cross-sectional study using a self-administered online survey was done.A total of 1718 French students and physicians (mean age, 26.84±7.19 years, 37.1% men) were included. Self-reported lifetime use, motives, socio-demographic and academic features for over the counter (OTC), medically prescribed (MPP), and illicit (IP) psychostimulant users were reported. Lifetime prevalence of psychostimulant use was 33% (29.7% for OTC, 6.7% for MPP, and 5.2% for IP). OTC consumption mainly aimed at increasing academic performance and wakefulness during competitive exams preparation. OTC consumption started early and was predictive of later MPP use. Corticoids were the most frequently consumed MPP (4.5%) before methylphenidate and modafinil. Motives for MPP consumption were increased academic performance, concentration, memory, and wakefulness.Psychostimulant use is common among French medical community. Our results suggest that restrictions on methylphenidate and modafinil prescriptions are effective at limiting their use. However, these restrictions may explain the observed rates of corticoids consumption, which raise a new public health problem, given that corticoids may have severe side effects.

Exploring the association of deliberate self-harm with emotional relief using a novel Implicit Association Test.

Despite the growing consensus that negative reinforcement in the form of emotional relief plays a key role in the maintenance of deliberate self-harm (DSH), most of the research in this area has relied exclusively on self-report measures of the perceived motives for and emotional consequences of DSH. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to extend extant research on the role of emotional relief in DSH by examining the strength of the association of DSH with emotional relief using a novel version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). The strength of the DSH-relief association among both participants with (vs. without) DSH and self-harming participants with (vs. without) BPD, as well as its associations with relevant clinical constructs (including DSH characteristics, self-reported motives for DSH, BPD pathology, and emotion dysregulation and avoidance) were examined in a community sample of young adults (113 with recent recurrent DSH; 135 without DSH). As hypothesized, results revealed stronger associations between DSH and relief among participants with versus without DSH, as well as among DSH participants with versus without BPD. Moreover, the strength of the DSH-relief association was positively associated with DSH frequency and versatility (both lifetime and at 6-month follow-up), BPD pathology, emotion dysregulation, experiential avoidance, and self-reported emotion relief motives for DSH. Findings provide support for theories emphasizing the role of emotional relief in DSH (particularly among individuals with BPD), as well as the construct validity, predictive utility, and incremental validity (relative to self-reported emotion relief motives) of this IAT.

Modeling Motives for Bilingual Accommodation by Minority and Majority Language Speakers

Within the framework of communication accommodation theory, this study examined how self-reported motives for linguistic convergence and divergence by speakers of majority and minority languages (in demographic terms) predict language use in Finland, a bilingual country. In so doing, we also offer a novel approach to modeling motivation for linguistic accommodation. For majority language speakers, motives to converge, but not motives to diverge, were significant predictors of linguistic convergence to the outgroup. However, the opposite pattern was found for minority language speakers. To our knowledge, this is the first study to model how multiple self-reported motives for language use theorized by communication accommodation theory jointly map onto linguistic behavior in a bilingual setting.

Being Much Better and No Worse than Others: Deviance Regulation, Self-Guides, and the Motive to be Distinct

Five studies examined whether the concern for self-other distinction is moderated by self-guide activation, with the predictions based on deviance regulation theory that distinctiveness striving is amplified by activation of ideal self-guides and diminished by activation of ought self-guides. In Study 1, trait differences in self-guides predicted trait differences in self-reported distinctiveness motives. In Studies 2–5, state activation of ought versus ideal self-guides led to shifts in participants' self-reported interest in distinctiveness (Study 2), identification with common versus uncommon social groups (Study 3), preferences for common versus rare consumer products (Study 4), and emotional reactions to distinctiveness versus similarity feedback (Study 5). These findings suggest that self-guide activation can complement known cultural, dispositional, and contextual influences on distinctiveness striving.

The relationship between smoking motives and smoking urges experienced in response to a negative affect induction

IntroductionThe present study attempted to further elucidate the relationship between self-reported smoking motives and affect in college students. MethodSmoking motives were measured via self-report, and following a laboratory negative affect (NA) mood induction, urge to smoke was assessed via three questions. Participants were college students (N=84) who reported smoking an average of 8.74 (SD=5.36) cigarettes per day. ResultsResults indicated that smoking motives for Positive Reinforcement and Automaticity significantly predicted participants' responses on two measures of urge to smoke immediately following the NA induction. Positive Reinforcement motives were predictive of urge to smoke, and Automaticity motives were predictive of the number of cigarettes participants stated that they would smoke if cigarettes were provided for free. ConclusionsThese findings indicate that (1) the association between NA and smoking is perhaps more complex than previously thought; and (2) merely two (Positive Reinforcement, Automaticity) of possibly thirteen smoking motives were identified as predictive of smoking urges. It is particularly surprising that other smoking motives (e.g., Negative Reinforcement) were not significant predictors of urge following the NA induction. Implications for relapse risk and treatment considerations among smokers experiencing elevated NA are considered.

Ostracizing Group Members Who Can (or Cannot) Control Being Burdensome

Ostracism–excluding and ignoring someone–occurs cross-culturally in humans. Previous research suggests that groups often use ostracism to punish burdensome members in order to 1) motivate the members to change undesirable behavior and 2) ultimately protect the group from these members. We present data from two studies that manipulate the presence of a burdensome member during an online group interaction and attributional information about the member’s controllability over the burden. Participants played an online game in which one of their group members either played slowly (burdensome) or similarly to the other members (non-burdensome). We manipulated this group member’s perceived Internet connection status (good vs. poor). A slow player with a good connection could presumably control their behavior but one with a poor connection could not. Participants ostracized a slow-playing group member regardless of connection status, but status did have some influence on participants’ self-reported motives for ostracism.