Achievement Motivation

Question 1

What is achievement motivation?

Answer 1

• The desire to succeed minus the fear of failure.

Question 2

What were the 2 personality types Atkinson suggested?

Answer 2

Approach behaviour - approaches competition with enthusiasm: asks to take the penalty.
Avoidance behaviour - tries to avoid the competition: at the back of the group for penalties.

Question 3

NACH (need to achieve) Characteristics.
Approach behaviour

Answer 3

• Welcome competition
• They take risks
• Task persistant
• Welcome feedback and evaluation
• Confident
• Attribute success internally
• Base their actions on seeking pride and satisfaction from their performance

Question 4

NAF (need to avoid failure) Characteristics.
Avoidance behvaiour

Answer 4

• Avoid competition
• Take the easy option
• Give up easily
• Do not like feedback and evaluation
• Do not take responsibility for their actions.

Question 5

What determines NACH and NAF?

Answer 5

• Approach behaviour depends on the interaction of personality and the situation.
• The need to achieve or avoid failure are situation specific.

Personality
- Need to achieve of avoid failure
- Introvert or extrovert
- Confidence
- Innate or developed
- Aggression/Arousal/Anxiety

Situation
- Probability of success - easy or hard
- Incentive value - High or low incentive
- Familiar or unfamiliar environment
- High risk = high reward

Question 6

Define interaction.

Answer 6

The combination of the situational and personality factors that decide the level of achievement motivation.

Question 7

How can you develop the need to achieve?

Answer 7

• Attribute success internally: tell the player that success is due to them, their effort, technique and skills
• Use reinforcement: a coach could offer praise and rewards to players who do well or achieve goals, this maintains motivation and promotes task persistence.
• Set goals: should be realistic and achievable so that satisfaction is gained, process or outcome goals.
• Improve confidence/self - efficacy
• Allow success: encourage belief and motivation to imprive confidence by setting easy drills.

Question 8

What is the achievement goal theory?

Answer 8

• Motivation and task persistence depend on the type of goals set and how their success is measured.

Task related
- measure the process of success against the performers own standards.
- regardless of the result success can be achieved and confidence maintained.

Outcome related
- doesn’t matter how the result is achieved as long as the goal is reached.
- if the performer succeeds pride and satisfaction are maintained.
- if they fail confidence and motivation can be lowered