Velocity relation : satisfaction as a function of the first derivative of outcome over time

Social scientists have found that satisfaction with an outcome is positively related not just to the position (i.e., actual level) of the outcome, but also to the displacement (i.e., directional difference) between the current level and a reference level. Extending the displacement notion, the present research hypothesized that satisfaction is positively related to the velocity (i.e., rate) at which the outcome changes over time, and tested this hypothesis by using hypothetical outcomes presented in questionnaires (Study 1) and displayed on a computer screen (Study 2). Results from both studies supported the hypothesis. The findings are discussed with regard to their implications for a formal model of the outcome-satisfaction relationship and for a dynamic analysis of human behavior. The present research investigates the relation(s) between the desired outcome of an event and the satisfaction of the person who experiences the event. For example, what is the relation between the grade point average (GPA) of a student and his satisfaction with his grade? What is the relation between the salary of a worker and her satisfaction with her salary? What is the relation between the amount of fame an actor has and his satisfaction with it? What is the relation between the weight of a dieter and her satisfaction with her weight? We believe that there exists more than one relation between outcome and satisfaction. Probably the simplest relation is that satisfaction depends on the actual value of the outcome: The more (less) positive an outcome, the greater (less) the satisfaction.1 For example, the higher the GPA, the more satisfied a student is with it; the higher the salary, the more satisfied a worker is with it. Formally, this relation can be expressed as

[1]  Amos Tversky,et al.  Endowment and contrast in judgments of well-being. , 1991 .

[2]  J. Broome.  Interpersonal comparison of well-being , 1991 .

[3]  Daniel Kahneman,et al.  Interpersonal Comparisons of Well-being: Notes on the psychology of utility , 1991 .

[4]  R. Herrnstein.  Rational Choice Theory Necessary but Not Sufficient , 1990 .

[5]  B. Schwartz.  The Creation and Destruction of Value , 1990 .

[6]  C. Carver,et al.  Origins and Functions of Positive and Negative Affect: A Control-Process View. , 1990 .

[7]  R. H. Smith,et al.  Intrapersonal and social comparison determinants of happiness: a range-frequency analysis. , 1989, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[8]  William R. Shadish,et al.  Psychology of science : contributions to metascience , 1989 .

[9]  William J. McGuire,et al.  Psychology of science: A perspectivist approach to the strategic planning of programmatic scientific research , 1989 .

[10]  C. Murray.  In Pursuit : Of Happiness and Good Government , 1988 .

[11]  C. Marsden,et al.  Depression and disability in Parkinson's disease: a follow-up of 132 cases , 1988, Psychological Medicine.

[12]  G. Loewenstein.  Frames of mind in intertemporal choice , 1988 .

[13]  N. Frijda.  The laws of emotion. , 1988, The American psychologist.

[14]  Peter C. Fishburn,et al.  Nonlinear preference and utility theory , 1988 .

[15]  H. Katschnig.  Life Events and Psychiatric Disorders: Controversial Issues , 1987 .

[16]  I. Altman,et al.  Handbook of environmental psychology , 1987 .

[17]  L. Berkman,et al.  The measurement of grief: bereaved versus non-bereaved. , 1986, The Hospice journal.

[18]  P. Ekman,et al.  Approaches To Emotion , 1985 .

[19]  E. Diener,et al.  Subjective well-being. , 1984, Psychological bulletin.

[20]  L. Leventhal,et al.  Gain-loss versus reinforcement-affect ordering of student ratings of teaching: Effect of rating instructions. , 1984 .

[21]  A. Parducci.  Value Judgments: Toward a Relational Theory of Happiness , 1984 .

[22]  R. Solomon.  The opponent-process theory of acquired motivation: the costs of pleasure and the benefits of pain. , 1980, The American psychologist.

[23]  A. Tversky,et al.  Prospect theory: analysis of decision under risk , 1979 .

[24]  P. Brickman,et al.  Lottery winners and accident victims: is happiness relative? , 1978, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[25]  Theodore Huston.  Foundations of Interpersonal Attraction , 1974 .

[26]  M. Appley,et al.  Adaptation-level theory : a symposium , 1971 .

[27]  D. Campbell,et al.  Hedonic relativism and planning the good society , 1971 .

[28]  Vernon L. Quinsey,et al.  Some applications of adaptation-level theory to aversive behavior. , 1970 .

[29]  Elliot Aronson,et al.  Gain and loss of esteem as determinants of interpersonal attractiveness , 1965 .

[30]  H. Helson.  Adaptation-level theory : an experimental and systematic approach to behavior , 1964 .

[31]  L. Crespi.  Quantitative variation of incentive and performance in the white rat. , 1942 .