Graduate Exit Seminar - Samantha Mertens

Plan to join Samantha Mertens's graduate exit seminar on April 2, 2025, at 4:00 pm in Kottman Hall, Room 333C or via Zoom. Samantha will present, "Examining the Roles of Agency, Valence, and Social Observations in Behavioral Spillover"

Abstract: Behavioral spillover refers to the phenomenon whereby engagement in an initial behavior tends to influence engagement in a subsequent similar behavior. A large controversy in the behavioral spillover literature is whether people want to appear consistent in their behavior, or whether they feel licensed to behave inconsistently. This controversy stems from empirical research finding mixed support for the effect, in addition to some research finding no evidence of the effect. However, there are important aspects of individual-level decision making that have been absent from spillover discussions but could potentially explain the mixed state of the literature. Thus, this dissertation draws on psychological theory to explore the roles of agency, behavior valence, and social observations in the spillover process. In Chapter 2 we explore the effects of personal agency over an initial sustainable behavior and examine subsequent reactance and ascribed responsibility as mechanisms of the spillover process. We find that when people have agency (vs. are denied agency) over an initial decision, they are less reactive and in turn feel more responsible for their choice, resulting in positive spillover effects. In Chapter 3 we explore the role of behavior valence, while accounting for the effects of agency. We find additional evidence of behavioral spillover through these mechanisms, and further find that the direction of the effect is determined by the valence of the initial behavior, providing novel evidence for the importance of valence in the spillover process. While we do not find evidence for an effect of social observations on the spillover process in Chapter 4, we do find evidence that spillover effects are sensitive to individual characteristics that are salient in contexts of choice freedom and behavior valence. Namely, we find evidence of a cleansing effect, which has been largely absent from spillover discussions.

Advisor: Dr. Nicole Sintov