Augmentation and Undermining from Combining Activities

The Role of Choice in Activity Engagement Theory

Bibliographic Data

ID9006399
AuthorsE Tory Higgins (0000-0003-4157-8207, Columbia University, corresponding author), Yaacov Trope (0000-0003-1448-1960, New York University), Joonmo Kwon
Year1999
Volume35
Issue3
Pages285-307
Publication date1999-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Experimental Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-1031 • E-ISSN: 1096-0465
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1006/jesp.1999.1384
OpenAlexW2019224731
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited39

How does combining activities and freely choosing between them increase or decrease subsequent interest in them? In an extenstion of activity engagement theory (Higgins & Trope, 1990), we propose that an identified activity is associated with an approach or avoidance orientation that serves as a reference point for making evaluative inferences about engagement choices. People make inferences that are informative, i.e., that provide information beyond what is already known. Because people expect to approach a liked activity, choosing not to approach is more informative than choosing to approach. When people forsake a liked activity for another activity, therefore, they infer that the forsaken activity is not so positive. Thus, switching back and forth between two liked activities candecreasesubsequent interest in them. Because people expect to avoid a disliked activity, choosing not to avoid is more informative than choosing to avoid. When people choose a disliked activity instead of another activity, therefore, they infer that the chosen activity is not so negative. Thus, switching back and forth between two disliked activities canincreasesubsequent interest in them. We describe previous research and present new research that supports each of these predictions. We then consider other ways in which combining activities can undermine or enhance interest depending on how engagement choices are represented

Activity Theory · Biology and political orientation · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Orientation (vector space · Point (geometry · Politics · Trope (literature · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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