l3 - Inzlicht, M., Shenhav, A., & Olivola, C. Y. (2018) Flashcards
- What is effort?
Effort is the intensification of mental or physical activity directed at achieving a goal.
- What is motivation?
Motivation is the psychological force that drives behavior, consisting of direction (goal) and intensity (effort exertion).
- What is the effort paradox?
Effort is generally costly and avoided, but paradoxically, people sometimes seek effort because it adds value to outcomes.
- What is the law of least work?
Given equal rewards, individuals and animals tend to choose the option that requires less effort.
- What is effort discounting?
The phenomenon where people devalue rewards that require more effort to obtain.
- What is the IKEA effect?
The tendency for people to value objects they assemble themselves more than identical pre-assembled objects.
- What is effort justification?
The tendency to increase liking for outcomes that required greater effort, to justify the exerted effort.
- What is learned industriousness?
When effort is consistently paired with reward, individuals learn to associate effort with positive outcomes and become more willing to exert it.
- What is the martyrdom effect?
The idea that people donate more to a cause when the fundraising process is effortful or painful.
- What is need for cognition?
A personality trait describing an individual’s tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activities.
What are the two ways effort adds value?
- Effort enhances the value of an outcome (e.g., the more effort put into something, the more valuable it seems).
- Effort itself can be intrinsically rewarding (e.g., people engage in difficult tasks for enjoyment, like puzzles or marathons).
- How does effort increase value retrospectively?
After exerting effort, people reinterpret past effort as meaningful, increasing the perceived value of the outcome.
- How does effort increase value concurrently?
People can derive pleasure while exerting effort, especially in activities like flow states or problem-solving.
- How does effort increase value prospectively?
Anticipating effort can increase motivation for an action, especially in charitable or competitive situations.
- What role does effort play in decision-making?
Effort influences decision-making by making outcomes seem more valuable, affecting choices in consumer behavior, work, and altruism.
- How does cognitive dissonance relate to effort?
People experience mental discomfort when effort and reward are misaligned, leading them to justify past efforts by increasing perceived value of an outcome.
- How do sunk costs affect effort valuation?
The more effort someone has already invested in something, the less likely they are to abandon it (e.g., staying in a long movie despite disliking it).
- How does social evaluation affect effort?
Being watched by others can increase motivation to exert effort to demonstrate commitment or competence.
- How does ego involvement impact effort?
When effort is tied to self-worth or identity, people exert more effort because failure feels personally significant.
How does mood influence effort valuation?
Positive mood → Can reduce effort by making individuals less driven to overcome challenges.
Anger → Can increase effort by energizing persistence.
Sadness → Can reduce effort by making tasks seem harder.
Depression → Lowers effort due to reduced responsiveness to rewards.
different psychological theories explain why effort increases value, distinguishing between:
Retrospective effects (value increases after effort is exerted)
Concurrent effects (value increases during effort exertion)
Prospective effects (value increases before effort is exerted)
- What are key retrospective effort-value associations?
Cognitive dissonance & effort justification – People rationalize past effort by valuing the outcome more.
IKEA effect – People prefer self-assembled items after investing effort in them.
Sunk cost effect – The more effort invested, the harder it is to walk away.
Earned income vs. windfall gains – Money earned through labor is valued more than free money.
- What are key prospective effort-value associations?
Martyrdom effect – Charitable giving increases when fundraising requires pain or effort.
Learned industriousness – Repeated effort-reward pairing makes effort itself reinforcing.
Contra-freeloading – Many species prefer to work for rewards rather than receiving them freely.
- What are key concurrent effort-value associations?
Contrast effect – Effort makes subsequent rewards seem more valuable by comparison.
State-dependent valuation – The value of an outcome is judged relative to the effort exerted while obtaining it.
Flow state – Deep engagement in effortful tasks produces enjoyment and intrinsic motivation.
