Motivation Science, Vol 10(4), Dec 2024, 299-312; doi:10.1037/mot0000356
Pavlovian cues associated with reward or punishment guide goal pursuit. Yet, prior research on humans has focused on the effects of these cues on simple responses, such as key pressing. We examined whether Pavlovian cues could influence complex, cognitive persistence: solving difficult anagrams. Combined results from five studies (N = 720) revealed that participants persisted longer on impossible anagrams after seeing a cue associated with money than after seeing a cue associated with no outcome. Combined results from another three studies (N = 329) revealed that participants were more inclined to perceive success on anagrams as likely when the anagrams followed the reward cue than when they followed the no-outcome cue. Reward cues may therefore increase the perceived likelihood of success, leading to greater persistence. Hence, Pavlovian cues may activate self-regulatory processes to motivate effortful and complex behaviors, by signaling information about the likelihood of obtaining an outcome. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)