Premium
The Effect of Goal Difficulty on Escalation of Commitment
Author(s) -
Lee Jong Seok,
Keil Mark,
Wong Kin Fai Ellick
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of behavioral decision making
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-0771
pISSN - 0894-3257
DOI - 10.1002/bdm.1835
Subject(s) - escalation of commitment , expectancy theory , psychology , action (physics) , valence (chemistry) , perspective (graphical) , social psychology , de escalation , political science , computer science , law , physics , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence
Escalation of commitment to a failing course of action is a problem in behavioral decision making that occurs across a wide range of social contexts. In this research, we show that examining escalation of commitment from a goal setting theory perspective provides fresh insights into how goal difficulty influences escalation of commitment. Specifically, through a series of two experiments, we found a curvilinear relationship between goal difficulty and post‐feedback goal commitment, which was mediated by valence and expectancy associated with goal attainment. In turn, it is commitment to goals that leads individuals to continue a previous course of action despite negative feedback. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.