Motivation

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Chapter 17

• Motivation

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Chapter Overview

• General Effects of Motivation
• Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation
• Drives Incentives
• Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

• Self-worth Theory
• Individual Differences
• Role of Affect
• Promoting Motivation

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General Effects of Motivation

• Motivation an internal state that arouses us to
  engage or remain engaged in certain activities
• Motivated individuals achieve more

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General Effects of Motivation

• Motivation influences behavior by
• Increasing energy and activity levels
• Directing us toward goals
• Promoting initiation of activities (and
  maintaining persistence)
• Increasing cognitive engagement (use of learning
  strategies and cognitive processes)

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Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation

• Extrinsic motivation motivation for a task
  originates outside the individual and the task
• Can promote successful learning and behavior
  modification
• Examples
• Mowing the yard to get an allowance

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Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation

• Intrinsic motivation motivation to complete a
  task lies within the individual and the task
• Optimal for learning (p. 409)
• Example
• Mowing the yard because I think it is fun

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Drives Incentives

• Drive theory (Freud, 1949 Hull, 1943 Woodworth,
  1918) proposes that humans try to maintain
  homeostasis, or a balance of optimal functioning
• Drive an internal state of need
• We behave in ways that reduce our drives so that
  we stay in balance
• A hungry person eats a thirsty person drinks
• Reinforcers are effective only if they reduce a
  drive/need state

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Drives Incentives

• Hulls ideas
• The strength and intensity of a behavior is a
  function of the habit strength and drive
• Strength of behavior habit X drive
• Research findings (Perin, 1942 Williams, 1938)
• Greater habit strength (more training) and/or
  greater drive (more hunger) resulted in more
  lever pressing by rats

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Drives Incentives

• Hulls (1951) ideas revised
• We have acquired drives that serve no biological
  purpose
• Incentives play a role in human motivation
• So
• Strength of behavior habit X drive X incentive

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Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

• A perspective of motivation based on a hierarchy
  of five needs
• Physiological needs
• Safety needs
• Love and belongingness needs
• Esteem needs
• Need for self-actualization
• First four are deficiency needs last is a growth
  need

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Self-Worth Theory

• We have a biologically significant need for
  competence
• We work to protect our self-worth (Covington,
  1992)
• Sometimes we engage in self-handicapping by
• Setting unattainably high goals
• Procrastinating
• Reducing effort
• Using alcohol or drugs

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Individual Differences

• Need for affiliation the degree to which we
  want and need friendly relationships with others
• High need for affiliation
• Nervous when others observe performance
• Spend time communicating with others
• Attitudes and opinions are influenced by others
• More interested in interpersonal relationships
  than task accomplishment
• Children and adolescents appear to have high need
  for affiliation spend time socializing and
  maintaining friendships

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Individual Differences

• Need for approval a desire to look good to
  others
• Elementary school kids often want to look good
  to their teachers
• Secondary school kids want to look good to their
  peers
• High need for approval
• Low self-esteem
• Compromise standards to behave in ways that
  please others
• Try too hard to be liked often unpopular

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Individual Differences

• Need for achievement aka achievement
  motivation the need for excellence for its own
  sake, without regard for external rewards

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Individual Differences

• High need for achievement
• Set realistic goals
• Persist at tasks that are challenging
• Set increasingly high standards
• Delay gratification

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Individual Differences

• Atkinsons theory of achievement motivation
• There are two needs that relate to our tendency
  to strive for achievement
• Motive for success desire to do well
• Motive to avoid failure anxiety about failing
  to accomplish goals

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Individual Differences

• Motive for success
• Choose moderately challenging tasks that can be
  accomplished
• Dont worry about mistakes low motive to avoid
  failure
• Recognize that success on difficult tasks is more
  noteworthy than success on easy tasks

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Individual Differences

• Motive to avoid
• Choose tasks that are easily accomplished
• Also choose tasks that are impossible failing to
  accomplish them does not matter

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Individual Differences

• Need for achievement across the lifespan
• May decrease as children progress through the
  school grades
• May be low during transitional years (elementary
  to junior high)
• Our understanding of achievement changes as we
  develop we define success in different ways

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Individual Differences

• Need for achievement and gender
• Males and females have greater need for
  achievement in areas related to gender stereotypes

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Role of Affect

• Affect refers to the feelings and emotions you
  bring to bear on a task
• Hot cognition the idea that our thoughts and
  memories have an emotional component
• Mood-dependent memory our mood influences our
  ability to retrieve information

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Role of Affect

• Anxiety uneasiness and apprehension about a
  situation
• Worry is the cognitive aspect
• Emotionality is related to the behavioral aspects
  of anxiety (increased heartbeat, perspiration)
• State anxiety is temporary anxiety elicited by a
  specific stimulus
• Trait anxiety is chronic anxiety in certain
  situations

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Role of Affect

• Effects on learning and performance
• Yerkes-Dodson law there is an optimal level of
  arousal (see p.423)
• Anxiety can interfere with attention to a task
• Worry can eat up attentional resources

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Role of Affect

• Test anxiety appears to come from the evaluative
  nature of tests
• Rare in early grades, but increases throughout
  school years

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Promoting Student Motivation

• Students should be intrinsically motivated
• Make sure nonacademic needs are met
• Capitalize on affect
• Assessments should not be judgments of ability
  and worth

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The End.