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Room for advancement: The regulatory fit of bottom‐rank intermediate feedback
Author(s) -
Hamstra Melvyn R. W.,
Schreurs Bert
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.2374
Subject(s) - psychology , social psychology , rank (graph theory) , regulatory focus theory , promotion (chess) , attribution , vigilance (psychology) , ranking (information retrieval) , cognitive psychology , mathematics , political science , computer science , combinatorics , machine learning , politics , creativity , law
This research tests the hypothesis that promotion‐focused individuals experience regulatory fit from bottom rank, intermediate performance‐feedback. Prior research suggests promotion‐focused individuals experience fit in high social ranks (power). Bottom performance ranks may appear psychologically opposite to high power, which might lead one to expect that promotion‐focused individuals experience fit at top ranks. We propose that the opposite occurs in intermediate performance ranking feedback, in that promotion‐focused individuals experience regulatory fit at a bottom rank, because bottom rank implies having something to gain (yielding eagerness), whereas top rank implies having something to lose (yielding vigilance). Study 1 ( N = 261) supports the notion that ranks affect eagerness/vigilance. Study 2 ( N = 199) extends these findings by examining engagement from regulatory fit.