The influence of affect and goal priming on decision search behavior
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The influence of affect and goal priming on decision search behavior Jason L. Harman 1
&
Justin M. Weinhardt 2 & Claudia Gonzalez-Vallejo 3 & Jeffrey B. Vancouver 3
Accepted: 4 September 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The interaction between goals and affect in decision making is not well understood. We test the affective-motivational route theory (AMR: Aarts et al. 2008b) which predicts that positive affect primed along with a goal leads to goal pursuit, whereas negative affect primed along with a goal does not lead to less goal pursuit. In the current study, we test AMR using a process tracing paradigm where individuals are primed with goals (accuracy or speed) and affect (positive or negative). Participants then performed a decision search task where decision relevant information must be actively searched. Results indicate participants primed with negative affect showed search behavior consistent with the primed goals of accuracy or speed. Conversely, participants primed with positive affect showed search behavior inconsistent with the primed goals of accuracy or speed. These results are in the opposite direction of AMR but are consistent with self-regulatory theories. Keywords Affect . Goals . Information search . Decision making
Introduction The idea that human behavior is generally motivated by goals is not new (Austin and Vancouver 1996; Lewin 1935; Pervin 1989). Traditionally studying the effect of goals on human behavior has been the realm of motivation researchers. More recently, decision making researchers have focused their attention on the effect of goals on perceptions of value and choice (e.g., Fishbach 2009; Heath et al. 1999). Despite this recent focus, little is known about the basic architecture and processes which translate goal concepts into goal pursuit. In addition, there has been evidence supporting the notion of nonconscious goal pursuit through goal priming, the activation of a goal by external cues, but there has been little research on how this activation can be strengthened or inhibited (Bargh and Chartrand 1999). Aarts et al. (2008b) theorized that the mechanism to pursue a goal outside of awareness is through a nonconscious affectivemotivational route (AMR) where affect (emotion) is key to goal
* Jason L. Harman [email protected] 1
Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
2
Haykayne School of Business, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
3
Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
pursuit. Specifically, they proposed that positive affect activates nonconscious goal pursuit, whereas negative affect inhibits nonconscious goal pursuit. Results from several studies (Aarts et al. 2007; Aarts et al. 2008a; Custers and Aarts 2005) provided initial support for this hypothesis. The conceptualization of affect as an informative signal has been proposed by various psychological theories (i.e. Bechara et al. 1997; Clore 1992; Frijda 1999a, 1999b; Schwarz 1990; Reid and Gon
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