(provided by candidate): Goal-setting style (fantasizing about the positive future, dwelling on negative obstacles, or contrasting the positive future with negative obstacles) and the forming of implementation intentions (planning when, where, and how you will take action toward your goal) have been shown to predict the variables of greatest concern to the field of motivation: goal commitment, expectancy effects, immediacy and efficiency of action, persistence, and successful goal pursuit. Given the significant effects of these two self-regulatory modes on goal attainment in so many areas (e.g. achievement, health, relationships), it becomes important to understand how individuals might differ in their chronic tendencies, and to discover the experiences that shape these tendencies. The proposed studies will address the following questions: 1) Does the prevalence of a particular goal-setting style or the tendency to plan differ among populations of different education, ethnicity, age, or gender, and can differences in self-regulatory modes account for known differences among these groups in areas like achievement? 2) Is there a relationship between goal type(e.g. performance, learning) and the effectiveness or likelihood of particular goal-setting styles or planning? How much of the effects of goal-type can be understood in terms of these self-regulatory processes? 3) Can goal-setting style or planning tendencies lead to more effective means of coping with difficulty, setbacks, or failure? 4) What role do goal setting styles and planning tendencies play in determining affect and well-being? and 5) What is the role of culture in fostering goal-setting styles and planning?
