Chin Ming Hui | The Chinese University of Hong Kong (original) (raw)

Papers by Chin Ming Hui

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 1047840x 2014 863723, Mar 10, 2014

European Journal of Social Psychology, 2015

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2011

Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2014

Psychological Inquiry, 2014

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2014

International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 2012

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2012

This article examines how broad motivations for security (prevention) or growth (promotion) diffe... more This article examines how broad motivations for security (prevention) or growth (promotion) differentially affect commitment to a chosen course of action in the presence of alternatives. Past research has demonstrated that when prevention-focused, people represent goals as standards that they feel obligated to maintain, whereas when promotion-focused, people rep- resent goals as opportunities that they could ideally attain. Accordingly, prevention-focused individuals should be more likely to show sustained commitment to an existing goal when presented with desirable alternatives whereas promotion-focused individuals should be more likely to shift their effort and attention toward these alternatives. Two studies confirmed that, compared to promotion-focused individuals, prevention-focused individuals showed preferences to retain chosen objects even when offered more desirable options (study 1), and showed a greater spread in their evaluations of chosen over non-chosen options post-choice (study 2).

Close relationships fulfill many important needs. However, not all of these needs are equally sal... more Close relationships fulfill many important needs. However, not all of these needs are equally salient under all circumstances. This article investigated how the broad motivational context in which people evaluate relationships affects the salience of particular needs, thereby altering how the fulfillment of these needs predicts relationship well-being. Across five studies, participants reported how well their current romantic relationship met their needs for self-direction and autonomy, either by providing support for the fulfillment of these needs (Studies 1-3) or by allowing them to feel that they autonomously choose to remain in the relationship (Studies 4 and 5). In motivational contexts emphasizing personal growth and advancement (promotion), one's own independent priorities could become more salient, increasing the relevance of autonomy experiences when evaluating relationship well-being. However, in motivational contexts emphasizing safety and security (prevention), autonomy experiences might not be especially salient and thus might not have any special relevance when evaluating relationship well-being. Both measurements and manipulations of participants' motivations for growth or security consistently supported these hypotheses.

Self-control is critical for achievement and well-being. However, people’s capacity for self-cont... more Self-control is critical for achievement and well-being. However, people’s capacity for self-control is limited and becomes depleted through use. One prominent explanation for this depletion is that self-control consumes energy in the form of carbohydrate metabolization and further suggests that ingesting carbohydrates improves self-control. Some evidence has supported this energy model, but given the broad implications of the model for efforts to improve self-control, the present research reevaluated the role of carbohydrates in self-control processes. Four experiments demonstrated that (a) under carefully standardized conditions using precise measurements, exerting self-control did not reduce blood glucose; (b) rinsing one’s mouth with, but not ingesting, carbohydrate solutions immediately bolstered self-control and prevented depletion; and (c) carbohydrate rinsing did not itself increase blood glucose. These findings challenge metabolic explanations for the role of carbohydrates in self-control depletion and suggest an alternate motivational model for these and other previously observed effects of carbohydrates on self-control.

The present research seeks to explain cross-cultural differences in two strategies for coping wit... more The present research seeks to explain cross-cultural differences in two strategies for coping with unsuccessful outcomes (consideration of multiple options and persistence) through regulatory fit, a development of the self-regulation theory (Higgins, 2000).We propose that, due to regulatory fit, eager consideration of multiple options is more encouraged in promotion-focused cultures, whereas vigilant persistence is more encouraged in prevention-focused cultures (a culture-strategy regulatory fit). In addition, if an incentive is introduced to motivate the use of these strategies, a gain-framed incentive is more effective in promotion-focused cultures whereas a loss-framed incentive is more effective in prevention-focused cultures (a culture-incentive regulatory fit). The hypotheses for the culture-strategy fit (Study 1) and the culture-incentive fit (Study 2) were both supported, with samples of Israeli-Jews, Israeli-Arabs (in both studies), and Hong Kong Chinese (in Study 1). Taken together, the findings contribute to the understanding of cross-cultural differences in coping with unsuccessful outcomes and suggest the existence of cultural regulatory fit.

Psychological Science, Jan 1, 2011

People frequently escalate their commitment to failing endeavors. Explanations for such behavior ... more People frequently escalate their commitment to failing endeavors. Explanations for such behavior typically involve loss aversion, failure to recognize other alternatives, and concerns with justifying prior actions; all of these factors produce recommitment to previous decisions with the goal of erasing losses and vindicating these decisions. Solutions to escalation of commitment have therefore focused on external oversight and divided responsibility during decision making to attenuate loss aversion, blindness to alternatives, and justification biases. However, these solutions require substantial resources and have additional adverse effects. The present studies tested an alternative method for de-escalating commitment: activating broad motivations for growth and advancement (promotion). This approach should reduce concerns with loss and increase perceptions of alternatives, thereby attenuating justification motives. In two studies featuring hypothetical financial decisions, activating promotion motivations reduced recommitment to poorly performing investments as compared with both not activating any additional motivations and activating motivations for safety and security (prevention).

Self-improvement is a potential resource in sustaining relationships. A series of 2 studies with ... more Self-improvement is a potential resource in sustaining relationships. A series of 2 studies with Hong Kong Chinese college samples sought to examine whether attribute-specific, reflected regard from the partner determines self-improvement efforts on those attributes and whether attachment avoidance moderates the association. These studies measured self-improvement effort by retrospective self-report (Study 1) and evaluation of objects pertinent to attribute-specific self-improvement goals (i.e., related self-help books; Study 2). In general, the results showed that individuals improved their personal qualities when they perceived these qualities as relatively less favorably regarded by their partner. Moreover, attachment avoidance weakened such an association. The role of attachment avoidance in relationship-driven self-improvement seems to reflect strategic preference rather than a downplaying of relationship importance.

This study was designed to examine the relationships among social axioms and four different dispo... more This study was designed to examine the relationships among social axioms and four different dispositional components of self-regulation, namely optimism, mindfulness, regulatory modes, and approach versus avoidance motivation. We focused on two dimensions of beliefs about the world—social cynicism, that constellation of beliefs judging the social world to be dominated by power, and reward for application, that constellation of beliefs judging the world to respond positively to inputs of human effort and investment of resources. Results indicated that two axiom dimensions, namely, social cynicism and reward for application, were related to this subset of self-regulatory orientations. Moreover, mediational analyses suggested that social cynicism was related to less adaptive self-regulatory orientations, which in turn compromised subjective well-being, whereas reward for application was related to more adaptive self-regulatory orientations, which thereby enhanced subjective well-being. The implications of these findings are discussed for interpersonal strategic orientations and psychological health.

Personality and Individual Differences, Jan 1, 2009

Who are more vulnerable to experiencing mixed emotions? Previous studies have attempted to provid... more Who are more vulnerable to experiencing mixed emotions? Previous studies have attempted to provide answers by exploring the role of dispositional motivations and cognitive representations. Little is known about how the perceiver’s cognitive style affects mixed emotions. To partially fill this research gap, the present, 15-wave research tested the role of one’s dialectical thinking, which is defined as the tolerance of apparently contradictory or ambivalent beliefs, on mixed emotions in 15 positive and 15 negative life events. The study demonstrated an interaction effect between dialectical thinking and event valence on mixed emotions. Specifically, non-dialectical thinkers tended to experience more mixed emotions in positive than in negative events. This pattern is consistent with the notion that individuals use positive emotions to oppose or repair the pain of aversive events. However, dialectical thinkers experienced comparable levels of mixed emotions in both positive and negative events. This pattern is consistent with the notion that individuals’ balanced appraisal of events can create ambivalence.

In this chapter, we focus on Chinese relationship research conducted in the last decade, and exam... more In this chapter, we focus on Chinese relationship research conducted in the last decade, and examine how the rapid social and economic changes in Chinese societies have exerted an impact on the various types of interpersonal relationship. We also look at how traditional Chinese values (e.g. Confucianism and collectivism) continue to shape interpersonal relationships amidst the increasing influence of modernization and globalization.

Psychological Aspects of Social Axioms, Jan 1, 2009

Social axioms are proposed as fundamental psychological constructs tapping a person’s beliefs abo... more Social axioms are proposed as fundamental psychological constructs tapping a person’s beliefs about the social world and how it works, positioned centrally in the nomological network of broad psychological constructs and capable of predicting crucial psychological outcomes. This ambitious proposal has been put to empirical test across psychological domains around the world. In this chapter, we review all published empirical investigations on social axioms, demarcating them from other broad psychological constructs (e.g., personality and values) as well as examining if and how they could serve the four specific functions originally proposed, viz., “facilitate the attainment of important goals (instrumental), help people protect their self-worth (ego-defensive), serve as a manifestation of people’s values (value-expressive), and help people understand the world (knowledge)” (Leung et al., 2002, p. 288). We envisage social axioms as fundamental and useful psychological constructs that will continue to gain importance in social sciences research in the decades to come, and we propose a number of fruitful future research directions to promote this line of research.

Journal of Research in …, Jan 1, 2008

This research sets out to examine individual variations in perceptions of display rules. Based up... more This research sets out to examine individual variations in perceptions of display rules. Based upon Mischel and Shoda's model of the Cognitive-Affective Personality System (CAPS), we proposed that extraversion and neuroticism would serve to explain within-cultural individual differences and within-individual differences in endorsement of display rules. To test this hypothesis, participants reported the expressivity level of the display rule they endorsed by responding to the revised version of the Display Rule Assessment Inventory. Multi-level analyses showed that compared to those of introverts, the display rules of extraverts tended to be more suppressive when the relationship was distant rather than close. Extraversion also enhanced a neurotic's degree of suppression in public compared to private situations. Processes describing how personality interacts with situations in personalizing display rules were offered in light of the CAPS model to account for these interactions between personality and situation in the operation of display rules for emotional expression.

Understanding Self-Regulation Failure by Chin Ming Hui

Psychological Inquiry, 2017