Jan 20 Flashcards
need
a fundamental, innate requirement or condition that is ESSENTIAL for GROWTH, WELLBEING, and EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING
needs in relation to behaviour
needs ENERGIZE and DIRECT behaviour
biological needs
basic requirements for PHYSICAL SURVIVAL
(thirst, hunger, sleep, pain, temperature regulation)
drive theories
suggest an INTERNAL STATE OF TENSION pushes individuals to TAKE ACTION to satisfy their needs and RESTORE HOMEOSTASIS
drive theories assume that humans are…
PASSIVE
we aren’t goal setters, we’re just trying to stay in homeostasis
but humans ARE goal setters - we set ambitious goals (running marathons, researching hard topics, learning new things)
because of this, DRIVE THEORIES ARE INCOMPLETE
Harry Harlow’s puzzle study background
monkeys’ puzzle-solving behaviour couldn’t be explained in terms of drives or external incentives
“solution didn’t lead to food, water, sex”
Harry Harlow’s puzzle study - Harlow proposed…
another TYPE of drive
“the performance of the task provided INTRINSIC reward”
proposition marked departure from drive theories
Harlow’s puzzle study - introduction of food
the introduction of food in the puzzle experiment served to DISRUPT performance
it IMPEDED task-engagement
this phenomenon had yet to be reported in the literature
what group can we look to in order to examine intrinsic motivation?
children!
kids are innately driven to constantly explore, learn, try new things, fail and get up again, keep on trying despite no rewards
self-determination theory (SDT) and psychological needs: 4 key ideas
IDEA 1: humans are inherently ACTIVE and constantly engaged with their environment
IDEA 2: all humans possess 3 psychological needs (competence, autonomy and relatedness)
IDEA 3: psychological need satisfaction provides essential nutrients for engagement, psychological growth and psychological wellbeing
IDEA 4: environments may either support or thwart psychological needs
self-determination theory: 3 psychological needs
competence
autonomy
relatedness
SDT - psychological need satisfaction provides essential nutrients for…
engagement
psychological growth
psychological wellbeing
greater psychological need satisfaction leads to…
engagement
agency & initiative
intrinsic motivation
internalization
learning, performance, achievement
skill development
positive self-concept and identity
prosocial behaviour
positive emotions & wellbeing
health
greater psychological need frustration leads to…
disengagement
passivity & apathy
amotivation
anti-internalization & resentment
problematic relationships
acceptance of cheating as okay
antisocial behaviour
negative emotions & ill-being
illness
what promotes intrinsic motivation?
psychological need satisfaction
intrinsic motivation
motivation to engage in an activity out of one’s INTEREST and ENJOYMENT
performing the activity is its own reward
what does intrinsic motivation contrast with
extrinsic motivation
extrinsic motivation
motivation to engage in activity due to some EXTERNAL OUTCOME
not about enjoying the activity in its own right, but about what you get out of it
intrinsic motivation is linked to…
- greater initiative and task persistence
- creativity
- deeper processing of info and better retention of info in memory
- positive behaviour change
- more positive emotion, vitality & wellbeing
our social environments may ______ or ______ need satisfaction, with downstream…
support or thwart
downstream effects on intrinsic motivation
autonomy
the psychological need to experience SELF-DIRECTION and PERSONAL ENDORSEMENT
in the INITIATION and REGULATION of one’s behaviour
autonomy need satisfaction is characterized by…
sense of VOLITION and SELF-ENDORSEMENT
involves genuine, un-pressured willingness to engage in an activity without feeling coerced or pressured
sense of ownership and personal causation over one’s behaviour
autonomy quotes: sense of “Im doing this because….” rather than…
sense of “Im doing this because I want to”
rather than
“I don’t really want to be doing this. I’m only doing this because I have to”
example items from the autonomy need satisfaction scale
I feel like I’m free to decide for myself how to live my life
I feel pressured in my life
I generally feel free to express my ideas and opinions
In my daily life, I frequently have to do what I am told
People I interact with on a daily basis tend to take my feelings into consideration
I feel like I can pretty much be myself in daily situations
There isn’t much opportunity for me to decide for myself how to do things in my life
2 types of motivating styles
- autonomy support
- controlling
autonomy support has an interpersonal tone of…
UNDERSTANDING
“I’m your ally”
“I’m here to understand you”
“I’m here to support you and your strivings”
controlling style has an interpersonal tone of…
PRESSURE
“I’m your boss”
“I’m here to monitor you”
“I’m here to change and socialize you”`
3 things that define autonomy support
- taking the other person’s perspective
WHICH LEADS TO
- support interest & intrinsic motivation
AND
- support value & internalization
perspective taking
seeing the situation as if you were the other person
foundational component of autonomy support that enables the other components
perspective taking in relation to autonomy support
perspective taking is FOUNDATIONAL to autonomy support
it ENABLES the other components
ie. can’t support another’s interests without first understanding what those interests are
benefits of perspective taking
- communicates interest & concern
- helps build trust & understanding
- fosters sense of social connection
- improves communication
challenges associated with perspective taking: dual…
dual judgment model of empathy gaps
dual judgment model of empathy gaps
postulates that perspective taking entails 2 steps:
FIRST, imagine how we would feel in someone else’s situation
THEN, try to adjust for differences between ourselves and the other person
dual judgment model of empathy gaps - first pitfall
recap: first step is imagining how we would feel in someone else’s situation
first pitfall: MISJUDGING OURSELVES
^ COLD-HOT EMPATHY GAP: when in a relatively calm or “cold” emotional state, tendency to underestimate how strongly we’ll feel in a highly emotional or “hot situation”
cold-hot empathy gap
when we’re in a relatively calm/”cold” emotional state, tendency to underestimate how strongly we’ll feel in a highly emotional/”hot” situation
(pitfall 1 identified by the dual judgment model of empathy)
dual judgment model of empathy gaps - second pitfall
recall: second step is to try adjusting for differences between ourselves and that person
second pitfall: INSUFFICIENT ADJUSTMENT
^ tend to overestimate the extent to which others share our opinions, beliefs, preferences (FALSE CONSENSUS EFFECT)
false consensus effect
tend to overestimate extent to which others share our opinions, beliefs, preferences
why?
a) tend to believe we see the world objectively, so “reasonable” people should share our perspectives and reactions
b) perceiving similarity feels like a shortcut to understanding; but just because someone resembles us or has had similar experiences, doesn’t mean we’ll accurately infer their feelings/motivations
(pitfall 2 identified by the dual judgment model of empathy)
effective perspective taking requires what 3 things?
effective perspective taking requires:
- going beyond assumptions
- acknowledging empathy gaps
- practicing active listening
active listening
communication technique that requires fully engaging with what the speaker is saying
components of active listening
- asking CLARIFYING questions
- PARAPHRASING what the speaker said to confirm understanding
- paying attention to NONVERBAL CUES
- communicating CARE and CONCERN, avoiding negative or judgmental reactions
2 approaches to support interest & intrinsic motivation
- encourage pursuit of personal interests and goals
- present activities in need-satisfying ways
the importance of choice
even if an activity isn’t inherently exciting, giving individuals FREEDOM to make their own decisions can BOOST ENGAGEMENT and SATISFACTION
ie. classroom projects, workout routines, medication adherence
what if it isn’t possible to provide a choice?
that’s okay
the MOST CRITICAL COMPONENT is the FEELING of choice
even TRIVIAL choices, or the ILLUSION of choice provide benefits
math motivational challenge setup
motivational challenge: how to motivate children to learn math
elementary school children given computer math learning program with sci-fi or fantasy theme
FEELING-OF-CHOICE CONDITION: got to CUSTOMIZE game (ie. name your own spaceship)
math motivational challenge results
the feeling-of-choice condition led to:
- higher levels of LIKING for the game
- INTRINSIC motivation
- TASK PERSISTENCE
- attempts to use MORE COMPLEX OPERATIONS
- more LEARNING
motivational challenge: how to prevent mental and physical health declines in elderly nursing home patients? setup
CHOICE CONDITION: given freedom to decide between activities, how to arrange their rooms, to care for a plant
CONTROL CONDITION: the same options framed as “permissions” rather than options
motivational challenge: how to prevent mental and physical health declines in elderly nursing home patients? results
in choice condition (vs control):
- more vigour
- better physical and mental health
- lower mortality rate 18 months later
are all choices equally good?
no, not all choices provide autonomy support
- choosing from a LIMITED number of PERSONALLY-IRRELEVANT options
- TOO MANY choices can be OVERWHELMING
- DEPRIVING individuals of INFO needed to make an INFORMED decision
- some choices may be too STRESSFUL and CONFLICT PROMOTING
according to Deci, what may be behind a lack of desire to make one’s own choices?
a history of controlling interactions
“if you control people enough, they may begin to act like they want to be controlled”
research example of Deci’s idea about history of controlling interaction
(recall: Deci suggests that if people have a history of being controlled, they may begin to act like they want to be controlled)
- experimenter acted in either an AUTHORITARIAN or SUPPORTIVE way to elementary school kids
- children then given opportunity to choose on ANAGRAM TASK
- children who had been exposed to AUTHORITARIAN experimenter EXPRESSED LESS DESIRE FOR CHOICE
