The Automated will: Nonconscious activation and pursuit of behavioral goals
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In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 81, No. 6, 12.2001, p. 1014-1027.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The Automated will
T2 - Nonconscious activation and pursuit of behavioral goals
AU - Bargh, John A.
AU - Gollwitzer, Peter M.
AU - Lee-Chai, Annette
AU - Barndollar, Kimberly
AU - Trötschel, Roman
PY - 2001/12
Y1 - 2001/12
N2 - It is proposed that goals can be activated outside of awareness and then operate nonconsciously to guide self-regulation effectively (J. A. Bargh, 1990). Five experiments are reported in which the goal either to perform well or to cooperate was activated, without the awareness of participants, through a priming manipulation. In Experiment 1 priming of the goal to perform well caused participants to perform comparatively better on an intellectual task. In Experiment 2 priming of the goal to cooperate caused participants to replenish a commonly held resource more readily. Experiment 3 used a dissociation paradigm to rule out perceptual-construal alternative explanations. Experiments 4 and 5 demonstrated that action guided by nonconsciously activated goals manifests two classic content-free features of the pursuit of consciously held goals. Nonconsciously activated goals effectively guide action, enabling adaptation to ongoing situational demands.
AB - It is proposed that goals can be activated outside of awareness and then operate nonconsciously to guide self-regulation effectively (J. A. Bargh, 1990). Five experiments are reported in which the goal either to perform well or to cooperate was activated, without the awareness of participants, through a priming manipulation. In Experiment 1 priming of the goal to perform well caused participants to perform comparatively better on an intellectual task. In Experiment 2 priming of the goal to cooperate caused participants to replenish a commonly held resource more readily. Experiment 3 used a dissociation paradigm to rule out perceptual-construal alternative explanations. Experiments 4 and 5 demonstrated that action guided by nonconsciously activated goals manifests two classic content-free features of the pursuit of consciously held goals. Nonconsciously activated goals effectively guide action, enabling adaptation to ongoing situational demands.
KW - Psychology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79956944102&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/0022-3514.81.6.1014
DO - 10.1037/0022-3514.81.6.1014
M3 - Journal articles
VL - 81
SP - 1014
EP - 1027
JO - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
JF - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
SN - 0022-3514
IS - 6
ER -