Browsing by Author "Scholer, Abigail A."

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Reconsidering the Trade-off between Speed and Accuracy: The Role of Perceived Goal Progress Velocity
(Springer Nature, 2024-11-12) Beck, James W.; Scholer, Abigail A.; Hughes, Jeffrey; Phan, Vincent
Previous research has found a consistent trade-off between speed and accuracy. Whereas completing work tasks quickly is generally associated with increased mistakes, slowing down allows individuals to work in a more careful and accurate manner. However, this previous work has not considered the implications that subjective speed perceptions have for accuracy. To this end, we draw on control theory accounts of goal progress velocity, which predict that feeling slow is associated with negative emotional experiences. We argue that slow perceived progress is frustrating, and that this frustration can hinder accuracy. We tested our hypotheses using an experiment in which participants (N = 92) completed a work simulation. Importantly, actual speed was held constant across conditions, and instead we manipulated participants’ subjective interpretations of their rate of progress. As expected, feeling slow was associated with increased frustration, which in turn was negatively associated with accuracy. The results of this study imply that, contrary to the typical finding of a trade-off between speed and accuracy, there are situations in which slowing down can actually hinder accuracy. Therefore, the current research adds important nuance to the literature on speed-accuracy trade-offs. Additionally, this research provides the most direct test of control theory predictions regarding velocity to date. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these results for both theory and practice.
Struggling to Let Go: The Role of Prior Investment in Goal Disengagement
(University of Waterloo, 2024-08-30) Hubley, Candice; Scholer, Abigail A.
Prior research on goal disengagement has established that being able to let go of unattainable goals is positively related to well-being. While the benefits of goal disengagement have been well-established, relatively little is known about what influences the likelihood of disengagement from personal goals. I propose that prior investment directly reduces the likelihood of disengagement and can reduce responsiveness to signals that disengagement is adaptive. I report five studies (total N = 1217) that examined whether prior investment (previously invested resources) negatively relates to goal disengagement. Study 1 demonstrates that prior investment is negatively associated with disengagement from personal goals. Study 2 replicates Study 1 and also demonstrates that prior investment reduces the effect of unattainability on disengagement, suggesting that prior investment is associated with reduced responsiveness to unattainability. Studies 3 and 4 replicate Studies 1 and 2 in experimental contexts. In Study 3, participants were less responsive (i.e., disengaged less) from an unattainable lab task when perceived prior investment was manipulated to be higher (vs. lower). In Study 4, participants were less responsive to lower perceptions of goal attainability when perceived prior investment was manipulated to be higher (vs. lower) on a personal goal. Finally, Study 5 generally replicated these patterns in a longitudinal design: prior investment predicted greater goal commitment one month later and reduced the effect of attainability on goal commitment and goal disengagement one month later. I position these studies within a broader framework of “hooks” that can reduce the likelihood of goal disengagement. Implications for understanding goal disengagement discernment and the sunk costs fallacy are discussed.