The Effect of a Specific Versus Nonspecific Subconscious Goal Gary P. Latham University of Toronto Ronald F. Piccolo University of Central Florida.

The Effect of a Specific Versus Nonspecific Subconscious Goal

Gary P. LathamUniversity of Toronto

Ronald F. PiccoloUniversity of Central Florida

Subconscious Priming Priming

Temporary subconscious activation of an individual’s mental representations

Researchers interested in priming examine the effect of this activation on various psychological phenomena

How can we prime the subconscious? Word Scramble Sentence Completion Storytelling (Reflection) Images

Subconscious Priming Programmatic research has emerged to examine

the effects of subconscious goals or intention on behaviors Prime Senior Citizens → Speed of walking/Memory (Bargh) Health → Food choice (Fishbach et al.) Achievement → Brainstorming (Stajkovich, Locke, & Blair) Accuracy; Speed → Performance (Stajkovich et al.) Achievement → Creativity (Shantz & Latham) Significance → Effort, Performance (Grant)

Primed goals consume minimal cognitive resources and allow additional cognitive activity to take place outside of awareness.

Some Limitations of Existing Research

Most studies conducted in an lab setting Dependent variables are of modest practical

relevance Research has been largely atheoretical Studies are a risk for experimenter or demand

bias

The Current Study (Call Center) A Field Experiment

Practically Relevant Dependent Variable: Pledged Donations

Professional Sample University Call Center Employees seeking pledged

donations Participants had No Contact with Researchers

Minimize Experimenter Bias Measured Number of Dials

Minimize Demand Effects Theoretical-derived Experimental Conditions

Task Specific (Goal Setting Theory; Locke & Latham) Achievement Motivation (McClelland)

Method 52 participants at a University Call Center

7.13 months of experience 7 were excluded due to attrition Assessment of Performance Pre- and Post-Intro of

Prime Time 1 = Two weeks before introduction of priming

material Time 2= At the end of the first experimental week Time 3 = Two weeks later (priming material still in place)

Three conditions (two experimental; one control) Task Specific Goal, n=15 General Achievement Goal, n=16 No Goal Control, n=14

Call Center Study

Race “Achievement”

Head Set “Job-specific”

Procedure & Analysis Callers

Were randomly assigned to one of three conditions Drew names from a shared University alumni database Sat in cubicles out of direct view of callers in other

conditions. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test

Examines differences between measures collected before and after an experimental manipulation Appropriate for data collected from small sample sizes

We compared scores on performance metrics for each participant across Times 1 and 2.

Ignoring the signs, we ranked the differences from smallest to largest in each condition; then summed the ranks associated with positive (Time 2>Time 1) and negative (Time 1 > Time 2) differences.

The smaller of the two group sums is the Wilcoxon test statistic, which is then converted to a Z-statistic that approximates a normal distribution.

Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, Time 1 vs. Time 2

Number of PledgesCondition n Negative Positive Ties Z

Headset Photo 15 2 11 2 -2.11*

Race Photo 16 5 11 0 -1.84†

Blank Sheet 14 5 7 2 -1.55Note. † p < .10. * p < .05 (two-tailed).

Call Center Study Results, Average Pledges

Introduction of Prime

Conclusions Participants with Task Specific (p<.05) and

Achievement Goals (p<.10) improved significantly Upon using the fact sheet with the task specific or

achivement photograph, callers earned more pledge

Participants with No Goal did not significantly improve

It appears: The Effect of the Task Specific Goal lasted longer than the Achievement Goal (Significant Drop for Achievement Goal from Time 2 to Time 3).

Post hoc Test of Awareness Consistent with Bargh et al. (1996), we conducted a

study to assess awareness of the subconscious prime.

113 undergraduate students were asked to examine material used in the University’s fundraising effort.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, asked to evaluate the fact sheets, and completed an awareness funnel debriefing questionnaire What’s the purpose of the fact sheet? Do you notice anything unusual? Do you suspect that the purpose of the experiment be

different than was explained? Are you familiar with the expression “subconscious

priming?”

Awareness The purpose of the fact sheet:

“provide useful information” “show examples of program accomplishment” “help sell the college” “help raise funds” “report success to potential donors”

Nine of 36 participants in race condition noted that the photo was unrelated to the University or to fundraising.

Of 119, only 15 expressed familiarity with subconscious priming (5 of which offered an incorrect description).

Conclusion: Participants were not aware of the intent of the subconscious goal

Limitations Low Power

Small Sample Sizes in Each Condition Design is Subject to Participant Attrition

Demand Effects Existence of Study inspires better performance

Control in the Call Center Potential for other motivators (e.g., social

facilitation) in the work environment – monetary incentives

Variability in the flow of calls to alumni; nature of alumni dataset

An Experimental Examination of Subconsciously Primed Goals

Gary P. LathamUniversity of Toronto

Ronald F. PiccoloUniversity of Central Florida

Does Prime tap Subconscious Motives? Two hypotheses drive third experiment:

Primed Goal for Achievement (e.g., “Race Photo”) leads to significantly higher number of achievement related words than task-specific or no-goal prime. McClellan’s Power-Achievement Theory

Primed Task-Specific Goal leads to significantly higher number of words associated with (a) work and (b) money than general achievement or no-goal prime. Locke & Latham’s Goal Setting Theory

Methods, Procedure, Analysis 165 Undergraduate students participate for

extra credit in general management course The two photos from Study 1 were used you

as stimuli in Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), a projective measure of subconscious motives meant to assess underlying state psychological motives.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Task-specific (i.e., “Headset”), n=67 General Achievement (i.e., “Race”), n=44 No Goal Control, n=54

Thematic Apperception Test

This is a test of imagination, one form of intelligence.

Here is a picture; please look at it carefully. Your task is to make up as dramatic a

story as you can for it. In the space below and on the following page, tell

what has led up to the event shown in the picture, describe what is happening at the moment, what the characters are feeling and thinking; and then give the outcome. Write your thoughts as they

come to your mind. Any questions?

You will have approximately 7 minutes to devote to this picture.

Thematic Apperception Test Results

Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC; Pennebaker et al., 2001)

F(162)=22.59*

F(162)=43.00*

F(162)=16.52*

Overall Conclusions Consistent with goal setting, a task-specific

prime encouraged attention to achievement, money, and work No Goal acted similarly as Conscious Goal

Matrix Prime (e.g., word search) is effective at: Concealing purpose of study True intention of this experiment

Task-specific prime seemed to last longer that General “Do Your Best”

Future Studies

Additional Professional Settings Larger Samples Alternative Outcomes

Service, Efficiency, Productivity ($$) Engagement, Turnover, Teamwork Others?

Longer Time Frame Additional Priming Devices

Matrix configuration vs. task or general achievement

Consider Additional Mediators Self Set Goals; State Affect

Thank you