scholarly journals The Effects of a University’s Self-Presentation and Applicants’ Regulatory Focus on Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Student Engagement

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 10045
Author(s):  
Elke Kümmel ◽  
Joachim Kimmerle

A university’s presentation of its programs to the public should provide potential students with information about what they can expect as students at that university. However, it is largely unclear what kind of self-presentation affects different applicants and their commitment. In a laboratory experiment with N = 116 participants, we examined the emotional, behavioral and cognitive impact of a university’s self-presentation (either emphasizing chances for students or emphasizing their obligations) on student engagement. We also measured the participants’ regulatory focus (promotion and prevention focus). We found interaction effects of the university’s self-presentation and participants’ promotion and prevention focus on student engagement. There was a regulatory fit for promotion focus in the chances condition for emotions and behavior. There was also a regulatory fit for prevention focus in the obligations condition for cognitive processes. We conclude that universities should dedicate time and effort to creating a clear presentation of their offerings in the implementation of digital learning environments.

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 698-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Grappi ◽  
Simona Romani ◽  
Richard P Bagozzi

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer responses to company communication of offshoring strategies and tries to discover which psychological mechanisms govern these responses. To do these, the authors examine offshoring strategy communication from the point of view of Regulatory Focus Theory. Design/methodology/approach – The authors tested the hypotheses in two different studies. Study 1 examines the associations between company offshoring motives and consumer’s prevention or promotion inferences about the company’s practices. Study 2 tests if and how the interaction effect between respondents’ self-regulatory focus and the company offshoring motive affects respondents’ attitude toward the offshoring company. Findings – The study demonstrated that each of three offshoring motives activates unique self-regulatory orientations (promotion or prevention focus) in consumers, and regulatory fit positively affects consumer attitudes toward the offshoring company. Practical implications – Results suggest how to communicate company offshoring decisions to consumers. By trying to instill a particular regulatory focus in the public with their communication tools, companies can create a better match in the public eye, gaining more positive consumer evaluations. Originality/value – This research shows the mechanisms through which consumers respond differently to specific offshoring motives communicated by a company. By building on psychology theory, the study gains insights into the consumer reactions to company offshoring and, to the knowledge, no research to date has examined these mechanisms.


2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 1969-1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Jing Cui ◽  
Kim-Shyan Fam ◽  
Tai-Yang Zhao

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of regulatory focus on Chinese consumers’ intention to consume ethnic food, the mediating role of food neophobia and the moderating role of message framing with regard to regulatory focus and ethnic food consumption. Design/methodology/approach Lab experiments method was used in this paper, two studies were designed to test the relationship between regulatory focus, food neophobia, message framing and intention to eat ethnic food. Study 1 was to test the influence of regulatory focus on intention to eat ethnic food, and the mediation role of food neophobia. Study 2 was to test the moderation role of message framing. Findings Results indicated that consumers with promotion focus have higher intention to eat ethnic food than consumers with prevention focus. Prevention-focus consumers have higher food neophobia, which leads to lower intention to eat ethnic food. Food neophobia plays the mediating role in the relationship between regulatory focus and intention to eat ethnic food. Regulatory fit can increase consumers’ intention to eat ethnic food. Promotion-focus consumers show higher eating intention in gain-framing situation, while prevention-focus consumers show higher eating intention in loss-framing situation. Research limitations/implications The study was undertaken in China. Further studies should include respondents living in countries other than China. Practical implications This research provides a venue for marketers of destination tourism, especially for ethnic food marketers to introduce and advertise ethnic foods to tourists. Regulatory fit is important for destination tourism. To improve consumers’ eating intention, this research suggests that ethnic food marketers should pay attention to regulatory focus of consumers from different regions and cultural background, and design corresponding message framing for consumers with different regulatory focus to form regulatory fit. Originality/value First, this study has proposed and tested regulatory focus’ effect on intention to consumer ethnic food. Food neophobia is used to explain the mechanism of relation between regulatory focus and intention to eat ethnic food. Also, message framing is introduced to define the boundary of relation between regulatory focus and intention to eat ethnic food.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 354-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Shan Athena Chen ◽  
Lien-Ti Bei

This study employs the four regulatory forms (goal pursuit, goal maintenance, negative escape, and active avoidance) to illuminate the heterogeneousness among regulatory focus measurements and activations. The first two studies consistently found that promotion focus involves goal pursuit orientation; however, prevention focus encompasses a goal maintenance and a negative escape orientation. The regulatory forms were then applied to regulatory fit research to investigate how the matches of regulatory forms determine the effect sizes of regulatory fit. By meta-analyses, the weak effect in one third of regulatory fit studies, whose regulatory forms were mismatched or partially matched, decreased the overall fit effect and increased the heterogeneousness among regulatory fit studies. However, a strong and consistent regulatory fit effect was found in well-matched of regulatory forms. By examining and extending regulatory forms to measurement, activation, and regulatory fit studies, this paper offers further understanding of the mechanisms of regulatory focus.


2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 526-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amaël Arguel ◽  
Lori Lockyer ◽  
Ottmar V. Lipp ◽  
Jason M. Lodge ◽  
Gregor Kennedy

Confusion is an emotion that is likely to occur while learning complex information. This emotion can be beneficial to learners in that it can foster engagement, leading to deeper understanding. However, if learners fail to resolve confusion, its effect can be detrimental to learning. Such detrimental learning experiences are particularly concerning within digital learning environments (DLEs), where a teacher is not physically present to monitor learner engagement and adapt the learning experience accordingly. However, with better information about a learner’s emotion and behavior, it is possible to improve the design of interactive DLEs (IDLEs) not only in promoting productive confusion but also in preventing overwhelming confusion. This article reviews different methodological approaches for detecting confusion, such as self-report and behavioral and physiological measures, and discusses their implications within the theoretical framework of a zone of optimal confusion. The specificities of several methodologies and their potential application in IDLEs are discussed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 001872672199753
Author(s):  
Zhe Zhang ◽  
Mijia Gong ◽  
Ming Jia

Does top management team (TMT) regulatory focus impact firm environmental misconduct (FEM)? If so, how and when? Integrating upper echelon theory with regulatory focus theory, we examine how regulatory focus, as one of the most direct and important psychological characteristics of TMT, impacts FEM. Additionally, we explore how this relationship is moderated by external and internal environmental dynamism from the perspective of regulatory fit. Based on a sample of Chinese listed firms from 2011 to 2017, we conduct computer-aided content analysis to quantify TMT regulatory focus. Results show that TMTs high in promotion focus are more likely to engage in FEM, whereas TMTs high in prevention focus are less likely to misconduct. Moreover, external environmental dynamism strengthens (weakens) the positive (negative) relationship between promotion (prevention) focus and FEM. Internal environmental dynamism strengthens the positive relationship between TMT promotion focus and FEM. By examining this motivation-based psychological characteristic of TMT, the findings suggest the need to consider TMT regulatory focus when analyzing the antecedents of FEM.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh Ann Vaughn

People in a prevention focus tend to view their goals as duties and obligations, whereas people in a promotion focus tend to view their goals as hopes and aspirations. The current research suggests that people’s attention goes to somewhat different experiences when they describe their hopes versus duties. Two studies randomly assigned participants (N = 953) to describe a hope versus duty. Specifically, Study 1 asked participants to describe a personal experience of pursuing a hope versus duty, and Study 2 asked participants to describe a current hope versus duty they had. I analyzed these descriptions with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2015. Consistent with earlier research on regulatory focus, participants wrote more about positive outcomes when describing hopes and social relationships when describing duties. The current research suggests that the effectiveness of common regulatory focus and regulatory fit manipulations could depend on participants’ freedom to choose the experiences they bring to mind when they describe their hopes and duties.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-240
Author(s):  
Mauro Giacomantonio ◽  
Femke S. ten Velden ◽  
Valeria De Cristofaro ◽  
Bianca Beersma

Purpose To avoid (costly) conflict, it is imperative to uncover when negotiators cooperate. The previous study has shown that negotiators’ cooperative or competitive behavior is oftentimes guided by cues about their counterpart; information about his/her traits or behavior. Using regulatory focus theory, this paper aims to investigate when this is likely to happen. The authors hypothesize and test that because prevention focus (rather than promotion focus) is associated with concerns for safety and concrete surroundings, it strengthens the impact of counterpart cues. Design/methodology/approach The authors used two scenario studies and one behavioral negotiation study to test the general hypothesis. The authors measured or manipulated participants’ regulatory focus, manipulated counterpart cues by varying the information negotiators received about their counterpart’s traits and behavior, and measured participants’ cooperative or competitive concession making behavior. Findings Results from the studies confirmed that under prevention focus, negotiators’ cooperative behavior depended on whether they received cooperative versus competitive counterpart cues more than under promotion focus. Furthermore, results also showed that under prevention focus, negotiators’ behavior was relatively unaffected by their own social motivation – i.e. their personal goal to obtain favorable outcomes for oneself or for both negotiation parties. Originality/value By showing that regulatory focus determines when counterpart cues affect negotiation behavior, this paper furthers the understanding of when contextual factors affect negotiators' behavior. In addition, it contributes to the understanding of the complex effects of prevention focus in interpersonal behavior.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1036-1066
Author(s):  
Ci-Rong Li ◽  
Chen-Ju Lin ◽  
Jing Liu

This study explores team-level mechanisms linking team regulatory focus and team creativity. Drawing on the team self-regulation perspective and regulatory fit theory, the mediating roles of team exploratory and exploitative learning and the moderating effect of team bureaucracy were examined. Team-level analyses conducted on data captured from the leaders and members of 135 teams. The results showed that team exploratory learning mediates the relationship between team promotion focus and team radical creativity, whereas team exploitative learning mediates the relationship between team prevention focus and incremental creativity. Furthermore, the team bureaucratic context, including centralization and formalization, moderated the indirect relationship between team regulatory focus and team creativity. The findings improve understanding of why team regulatory focus differentially contributes to team radical and incremental creativity. The findings also provide meaningful insight into the role of team bureaucracy in the team regulatory focus–team creativity relationship.


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