Why We Do What We Do Ch. 4 Flashcards
impact of extrinsic control
Extrinsic control gets people focused on the outcomes only, which can lead to shortcuts
example of the dangers of extrinsic control
Commission salespeople will often deceive and manipulate others if that is what is needed to make the sale
Flow (Csikszentmihalyi)
occurs when time seems to disappear, intensity in the process takes over, and the thrill is so great that one hates seeing it end
when is flow usually present?
during intrinsically motivating experiences
instrumental reason
everything is evaluated in terms of its cost-benefit ratio
modern society is built on ____
instrumental reason
Deci on instrumental reason
we should be more concerned with the experience of intrinsic motivation
extrinsic control in education
In education, grades are the primary means of extrinsic control
Deci and Benware testing in college students study
had two groups of college students spend 3 hours learning complex material on neurophysiology. Half were told that they would be graded while the others were told they would have the opportunity to put the material to active use by teaching it to others. They found that those who learned to be tested were less intrinsically motivated and displayed greater conceptual understanding on a test.
Deci and Benware testing in college students study takeaway
testing decreases intrinsic motivation in college students
Ryan and Grolnick testing in elementary school students study
had two groups of elementary school children read two short passages from grade-level textbooks. Some were told that they would be graded while others read without any mention of a test. Those who learned the material without expecting to be tested displayed a superior conceptual understanding of the material. The children who expected to be tested also displayed greater rote memorization than those not expecting the test
Ryan and Grolnick testing in elementary school students follow-up
one week later, they were asked about the material they had read, and those who expected to be graded remembered much less
Ryan and Grolnick testing in elementary school students study takeaway
when people learn with the expectation of being tested, they focus on memorizing facts and don’t grasp the concepts as well
tests and learning
Giving tests isn’t productive if the goal is long-term learning
Kage testing in Japanese public schools study
gave quizzes to students in Japanese public schools in two different conditions: in some classes, the quizzes were evaluated by the teacher and used as part of their course grade and in others, the students went over their quizzes to monitor their progress. He found that the use of evaluative quizzes led to lower intrinsic motivation and poorer performance on the final exam than the self-monitored quizzes
problem-solving and intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation
People perform less well at problem-solving when they are working for an extrinsic reward
performance and enjoyment of activities vs control
- The performance of any activity requiring resourcefulness, deep concentration, intuition, or creativity is likely to be impaired when controls are used as a motivation strategy
- People will also enjoy the activity less
when can rewards and controls speed up performance?
when tasks are simple and routine tasks and the rewards are based on how many units of work are done
intrinsic motivation is associated with:
- Richer experience
- Better conceptual understanding
- Greater creativity
- Improved problem-solving skills
motivating power of rewards and controls
Rewards and other controls do have motivating power
problems with relying on rewards and controls
- Once you have begun to use rewards to control people, you cannot easily go back
- Once people are oriented toward rewards, they will likely take the shortest or quickest path to get them
when should we definitely not use reards
to motivate something that could be made exciting in its own right (ex. reading)
pay-for-performance
involves compensating employees for each specific piece of work they do
example of pay-for-performance
sales commission
Deci on pay-for-performance
these practices can motivate people, but they will likely encourage shortcuts and undermine intrinsic motivation
impact of rewards as motivators
Rewards can be used to express appreciation but the more they are used as motivators, the more likely it is that they will have negative effects
caveat of using rewards
Rewards need to be equitable (people who give more get more)
