Question 1

Maria is studying for her calculus exam.She needs to write an essay for another class, too, but while she is studying for her calculus class, her mind shuts off the essay so that she can focus on her maths.Maria is experiencing ____.

Accepted Answer

Maria is experiencing goal shielding, which is when focusing on one goal leads to the suppression of other goals to avoid distractions.

Question 2

Does having goals actually help people to achieve things? Does it matter if the goals are broad (e.g., 'getting a good education') rather than narrow (e.g., 'getting a good mark on a specific assignment')?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Does having goals actually help people to...

Question 3

In social psychology, the 'belief that one's own project will proceed as planned, even while knowing that the vast majority of similar projects have run late' is known as the ____.

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described in the question corresponds to the planning fallacy, which is a cognitive bias that leads individuals to underestimate the time, costs, and risks involved in completing a project or task, while overestimating their own abilities and resources. This bias has been identified in various domains, such as construction, transportation, software development, and academic research. The planning fallacy can be attributed to several factors, including optimism bias, insufficient adjustment from the initial plan, neglect of past experience or external factors, and overconfidence in one's own skills or team's performance. To overcome the planning fallacy, it is recommended to use reference class forecasting, which involves comparing the current project with similar past projects and deriving probabilistic estimates of its duration and outcome.

Question 4

Which individual is least likely to experience goal shielding?

Accepted Answer

Goal shielding is the process of protecting goals from distraction and undermining influences. If someone is not very committed to achieving their goals, then they are less likely to experience goal shielding, as they may not have strong enough objectives to protect.

Question 5

Research on the planning fallacy indicates that we tend to ____ when making predictions about ourselves and we tend to ____ when making predictions about other people.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research on the planning fallacy indicates that...

Question 6

When a person starts working toward one goal and the mind automatically shuts off other goals from consciousness ____ is said to have occurred.

Accepted Answer

Goal shielding refers to the phenomenon where the mind automatically shuts off other goals from consciousness when a person starts working toward one goal. This allows individuals to focus on the task at hand and prevents distractions from interfering with goal pursuit. Self-regulation, tradeoffs, and monitoring are other related concepts but do not specifically refer to the phenomenon of goal shielding.

Question 7

The so-called Zeigarnik effect helps us to ____.

Accepted Answer

The Zeigarnik effect refers to our tendency to remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones. This can motivate us to return to those tasks and complete them, making it easier to remember what needs to be done.

Question 8

The so-called 'planning fallacy' is probably a result of the fact that people adopt a(n) ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The so-called 'planning fallacy' is probably a...

Question 9

According to the textbook, the two main drawbacks of plans are that ____ and ____.

Accepted Answer

Plans can be discouraging if they are too rigid and detailed, and they tend to be overly optimistic.

Question 10

Do goals and plans actually facilitate achievement?

Accepted Answer

Goal-setting is known to facilitate achievement by providing a clear target to work towards and increasing motivation. However, without a plan to achieve those goals, individuals may struggle to make progress. Plan-making facilitates achievement by breaking down goals into smaller, manageable steps, providing structure and guidance for how to achieve those goals. Therefore, both goal-setting and plan-making are important for facilitating achievement.

Question 11

Research suggests that goals are MOST helpful in facilitating achievement when they are ____.

Accepted Answer

Specific and somewhat difficult to achieve goals provide a clear and focused target, while also allowing room for growth and challenge. This type of goal promotes motivation and effort towards achieving the desired outcome. Broad and very easy to achieve goals may not provide enough direction, while specific and very easy to achieve goals may not provide enough challenge to motivate individuals towards achievement.

Question 12

When people make short-range decisions (e.g., what they are going to do that week) rather than long-range decisions (e.g., decisions about things that are far off in the future), they tend to focus more on ____.

Accepted Answer

When making short-range decisions, people tend to focus more on practical constraints such as time, resources, and immediate consequences rather than high levels of meaning or cultural significance. Intrinsic and extrinsic rewards may be considered in either short or long-range decision-making.

Question 13

Even though she knows that most people take much longer than they anticipate in finishing their dissertations (sometimes even years longer), Christinah is certain that she will be able to conduct her dissertation research, write up her dissertation, and defend it to her dissertation committee, all within nine months.She is sure that if she works hard she will be able to successfully finish on schedule.Christinah appears to be ____.

Accepted Answer

Christinah is subject to the planning fallacy, which is the tendency to underestimate the amount of time it will take to complete a task, even though most people take longer than anticipated.

Question 14

Suppose that you are out on a date.Although your date is somewhat entertaining, you keep having intrusive thoughts about the paper that you need to finish writing when you get home.These thoughts are evidence of the ____.

Accepted Answer

The Zeigarnik effect refers to the tendency for incomplete tasks to stick in our minds until they are completed, which can lead to intrusive thoughts and difficulty focusing on other activities. In this case, the unfinished paper is the incomplete task that is causing the intrusive thoughts during the date.

Question 15

Both parts of the duplex mind play a role in navigating through a hierarchy of goals.The automatic system helps to ____, while the conscious system ____.

Accepted Answer

The automatic system, also known as the unconscious mind, keeps track of and initiates specific goals without conscious awareness, while the conscious system, or the conscious mind, revises plans when goals are blocked. Therefore, choice A accurately describes the roles of both parts of the duplex mind in navigating through a hierarchy of goals.

Question 16

Who is most likely to experience goal shielding?

Accepted Answer

Goal shielding is the tendency for people to become so focused on a particular goal that they ignore or disregard information that is relevant to achieving that goal. It is more likely to occur in individuals who are highly committed to their goal, as they may be less willing to consider alternative strategies or ideas that could help them achieve their goal. Therefore, Philani, who is very committed to his goal, is most likely to experience goal shielding.

Question 17

Jaco has a long-term goal of becoming a neurologist.At the moment, though, he is only seven years old.He therefore also has several 'stepping stone goals' (finishing high school, going to college, going to medical school, etc.).That is, Jaco has a complete ____.

Accepted Answer

A hierarchy of goals is a system in which goals are organized by level of importance or achievement, with smaller goals serving as stepping stones to larger ones. In this case, Jaco's long-term goal of becoming a neurologist is at the top of his hierarchy of goals, while finishing high school, going to college, and going to medical school serve as his stepping stone goals.

Question 18

The purpose of goal shielding is to ____.

Accepted Answer

Goal shielding is the process of managing the competition between multiple goals. It involves prioritizing certain goals and setting up barriers or boundaries to protect them from interference by other goals. The purpose of this is to prevent distractions or conflicting goals from derailing progress towards achieving the most important goals.

Question 19

Research on proximal goals, distal goals, and goal hierarchies suggests that MOST people ____.

Accepted Answer

Research on proximal goals, distal goals, and goal hierarchies suggests that most people have goal hierarchies, including both proximal (short-term) and distal (long-term) goals. Proximal goals serve as stepping stones towards achieving distal goals, and goal hierarchies help individuals break down complex tasks into manageable steps, thereby increasing the chances of successful goal achievement.

Question 20

According to the research on goal setting and achievement, if all of the students below had similar track records, which of them should we expect to perform BEST in school in the coming month?

Accepted Answer

Student C has a specific and measurable goal ("get at least an A- on each of my exams and assignments this month"), which research shows is more effective than vague or overly ambitious goals. Additionally, the focus on achieving high grades in the short-term (i.e. "this month") rather than long-term ("next two years") may also be more motivating and achievable for the student.

Quiz 4: Choices and Actions: the Self in Control

Maria is studying for her calculus exam.She needs to write an essay for another class, too, but while she is studying for her calculus class, her mind shuts off the essay so that she can focus on her maths.Maria is experiencing ____.

Does having goals actually help people to achieve things? Does it matter if the goals are broad (e.g., 'getting a good education') rather than narrow (e.g., 'getting a good mark on a specific assignment') ?