Lecture 10: Intrinsic Motivation and "Flow"

Question 1

What is intrinsic motivation?

Answer 1

Activity pursued for its own sake; in the absence of any extrinsic rewards…
“… for the love of the game/activity”.

Question 2

What are intrinsically motivated behaviours?

Answer 2

Those that a person performs to feel competent and self-determining

Question 3

What are the reasons for participating in sport/exercise?

Answer 3

A mixture of extrinsic and intrinsic reasons/rewards

Question 4

What is the cognitive evaluation theory?

Answer 4

Theory to explain the differential effects of rewards on intrinsic motivation (I.M.) - sometimes increase, sometimes decrease

Question 5

What is the critical aspect of cognitive evaluation theory?

Answer 5

Evaluation, interpretation, or perception of the reward; NOT the reward per se.

Question 6

What are 2 aspects/perceptions of a ‘reward’ that affect I.M

Answer 6

1. CONTROLLING ASPECT (internal vs. external)
2. INFORMATIONAL ASPECT (about self-competence)

Question 7

Any reward has potential…

Answer 7

controlling and/or informational aspects: PERCEPTION is the key!

Question 8

High feelings of self-competence/self-control …

Answer 8

increase intrinsic motivation

Question 9

Low feelings of self-competence/self-control…

Answer 9

decrease intrinsic motivation

Question 10

What did Ryan (1980) find when looking at athletic scholarships at US universities?

Answer 10

• Football/Gridiron: scholarship athletes had lower I.M. than non-scholarship athletes.
• Wrestlers and Female Athletes (6 diff. sports):
  Scholarship athletes had higher I.M. than non-scholarship athletes.

Question 11

What did Wilson & Hodge (1997) find regarding professionalism’s effect on IM in rubgy?

Answer 11

Pro players had higher I.M. than Club players and that Task Goal Orientation was a moderate predictor

Question 12

What effect does task orientation have on IM?

Answer 12

High task orientation = more likely to be intrinsically motivated

Question 13

How can we enhance/increase intrinsic motivation?

Answer 13

1. Structure setting for success
2. Set realistic goals
3. Give rewards contingent on performance, not outcome.
4. Vary the content
5. Phase out rewards as I.M. increases.
6. Involve participants in decision-making
7. Provide an environmental conducive to “Flow”.

Question 14

What is the equation for flow?

Answer 14

Flow = Task Demands / Challenge

Question 15

What does Flow give a sense of?

Answer 15

A sense of total absorption in the activity, merging of action & awareness, loss of self-consciousness, sense of control, absence of extrinsic rewards and effortless movement

Question 16

What is flow?

Answer 16

intrinsically motivated activities where your skill meets the challenge in such a way as to provide “the” experience (in “the zone”)

Question 17

If task is too easy this leads to…

Answer 17

Boredom

Question 18

If task is too hard this leads to…

Answer 18

Anxiety