1. Giles H Feinberg
Dr. Ezequiel Morsella
Dr. Jamie Newton
“Something is wrong with the mouse.”:
Effort and Attitudes
Abstract
Why do people make their beds in the morning sometimes
but on other mornings elect to leave them unmade, even though
they would prefer that a bed be made? According to the Law of
Least Effort, proposed by Clark Hull (1943), it is because people
often decide to take a course of action that is associated with
the least amount of effort. Using a custom computer-based
paradigm the implications of this law were tested. The results
support that there is a link between effort and attitude
formation.
San Francisco State University
Hypothesis
Hypothesis 1: The increased effort
associated with using a slow
computer mouse compared to a
regular mouse will negatively effect
likability ratings on “nonsense
figures.”
Hypothesis 2: The increased effort
associated with using a slow
computer mouse compared to a
regular mouse will negatively effect
likability ratings on neutral face
images.
Mean Likability Scores by Mouse Spe
2.9
3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
Regular Slow Regular Slow
Mouse Speed
"Nonsense Figures Neutral Face
Research on The
Theory of Planned
Behavior suggests that
people represent their
surroundings, at least
in part, via covert
sensorimotor
simulation of how they
might execute an
observed behavior or
act on the objects they
encounter.
It has recently been
found that a specific
area of the brain called
the anterior cingulate
cortex (ACC) plays a
central role in conflict
monitoring and
outcome evaluation.
This region of the
brain essentially
biases behavioral
decision making
toward cognitively
efficient tasks and
strategies
Results
Mean likability scores were
used to represent change in
participant’s attitude across
conditions.
Mean liking of nonsense
images was higher for the
regular mouse speed .
Method
Effort was manipulated by varying
the fluidity with which the
participant could operate the
computer mouse. The tracking speed
of the mouse cursor was adjusted by
the experimenter.
Likability scores
quantified the degree
to which participants
felt positively or
negatively toward
each image.
Conclusion
Increased effort generates negative affect. The Law of Least Effort
explains why participants tended toward more negative likability ratings
when using a slow mouse. It is no surprise that people dislike the things
that challenge them, physically or mentally.
Stairs or escalator? Almost
instinctively, people save
the effort of walking up a
flight or two of stairs, and
opt for a brief, effortless
escalator ride. Study 1
proves this subtle,
seemingly unconscious
phenomenon of preserving
effort in everyday life.
Beyond this, by
understanding the
relationship between attitudes
and effort, perhaps methods
can be designed to instill
positive attitudes toward
energy-demanding activities
such as exercise, recycling,
and other behaviors that are
beneficial to the individual
and society.
Giles H. Feinberg M.A.
ghfeinberg@gmail.com