Lecture 15: Competition and Motivation

Question 1

effect of competition on intrinsic motivation

Answer 1

• Competition usually has negative impacts on intrinsic motivation
• But, it depends on the situation

Question 2

4-year-olds in hockey video

Answer 2

4-year-olds in organized hockey already show a hint of competition

Question 3

Koestner’s basketball experience

Answer 3

• Koestner played organized basketball and his basketball career ended when he was 18
• He lost his intrinsic motivation for playing basketball when he missed 9/10 shots playing at Madison Square Garden and was removed from the game by his coach

Question 4

Koestner’s brother’s basketball experience

Answer 4

• Koestner’s brother played informal basketball until he was 62
• He maintained his intrinsic motivation

Question 5

commitment

Answer 5

desire and resolve to continue sports participation

Question 6

5 factors of Scanlon’s model of sports commitment

Answer 6

• sports enjoyment
• involvement opportunities
• personal investments
• involvement alternatives
• social constraints

Question 7

sports enjoyment

Answer 7

• Sports can be a highly enjoyable activity that makes kids feel competent
• A positive thing

Question 8

involvement opportunities

Answer 8

• Sports can provide opportunities to meet new people, make friends, and get involved in your community
• A positive thing

Question 9

personal investments

Answer 9

• The more you’ve invested, the more likely you are to stick with it
• You start to feel like you have to stay with it because of how much you’ve invested in it
• A neutral thing

Question 10

involvement alternatives

Answer 10

• What other activities you be doing
• A negative thing

Question 11

social constraints

Answer 11

• Parents, coaches, and teammates can undermine sports commitment if they put too much pressure on a child
• A negative thing

Question 12

Koestner’s criticism of Scanlon’s model

Answer 12

this model misses competition, which is one of the most important factors in determining sports commitment

Question 13

ballet competition videos

Answer 13

• The National Ballet School has children move to Winnipeg or Toronto without their families to pursue ballet
• The competition doesn’t end when you get into the school; there’s competition for a better teacher, part, etc.
• Competition is highly salient for the dancers
• One of the teachers said: “We’re kidding ourselves if we pretend that competition isn’t part of our day-to-day life”

Question 14

1981 Deci study method

Answer 14

• Used the free-choice paradigm
• Had people do a puzzle task either while competing against others, or with no competition
• The confederate would always let the participant solve the puzzle quicker
• Then, there were three separate puzzles, where people were either told to do their best or compete against the other person
• Next, the participant was left for 8 minutes while the experimenter “interviewed” the confederate.
• They were allowed to either read magazines or continue working on the puzzles

Question 15

1981 Deci study findings

Answer 15

the people who were told that it was a competition, spent half as much time on the puzzles (half as much intrinsic motivation)

Question 16

why do basketball players report enjoying basketball?

Answer 16

1. Competition/measuring self vs. others
2. Development of personal skills
3. Friendships
4. The activity itself
5. Enjoyment of experience/use of skills
6. Measuring self against own ideals
7. Prestige/glamour/rewards
8. Emotional release

Question 17

Reeve & Deci, 1996 study method

Answer 17

• Examined whether competition can sometimes decrease and sometimes increase intrinsic motivation
• Used the free-choice paradigm
• Depending on their condition, participants were reminded before each trial to solve their puzzles faster OR focus all their attention on being the winner

Question 18

Reeve & Deci, 1996 study conditions

Answer 18

• Controlling/win
• Non-Controlling/win
• Non-Controlling/lose

Question 19

Reeve & Deci, 1996 non-controlling competition condition

Answer 19

“Try to outperform the other person by solving the puzzles faster”

Question 20

Reeve & Deci, 1996 controlling competition condition

Answer 20

“It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you solve each puzzle, or whether you figure out how the puzzle works, the only thing that matters is that you win the competition. So focus all of your attention on being the winner.”

Question 21

Reeve & Deci, 1996 study results

Answer 21

• People only had high intrinsic motivation when it was non-controlled and they won
• The level of intrinsic motivation if you win in a controlled situation is the same as if you lose in a non-controlled situation

Question 22

Reeve & Deci, 1996 study controlled/lose condition

Answer 22

• The researchers weren’t allowed to conduct a controlled/lose condition
• The ethics board felt it would be too emotionally upsetting for participants

Question 23

Chalip 1985 on informal sports

Answer 23

informal sports settings appeared to provide a better balance between challenges and abilities, and therefore increased enjoyment

Question 24

Reeve and Deci’s conclusion

Answer 24

“The results suggest that winning a competition may not undermine intrinsic motivation if there is no undue pressure to win. Unfortunately, it seems that the unyielding focus on winning in our society, whether in sports or school, may be creating a pressuring context that can have quite negative effects on individuals’ experience and motivation.”

Question 25

Chipmunk story

Answer 25

the Chipmunk team, an 8-year-old girls soccer team, won the game at the last minute and the whole team was happy except for the two girls on the bench, who were crying. One of the girls on the bench was the coach’s daughter.

Question 26

Chipmunk story takeaway

Answer 26

You can take the most thoughtful person in the world and if you subject them to intense competition, people will start acting in a highly controlling and competitive way

Question 27

danger of competition in hockey

Answer 27

Competition in hockey can result in yelling, swearing, and threats directed at officials or other players

Question 28

vallerand and losie, 1994 competition and sportsmanship study method

Answer 28

• Presented Quebec midget AAA hockey players with scenarios that varied on their emphasis on competition and intrinsic motivation at the beginning and end of the hockey season
• They also measured players’ sportsmanship beliefs

Question 29

vallerand and losie, 1994 competition and sportsmanship study findings

Answer 29

Found that competitive motivation at the beginning of the season significantly predicts reduced sportsmanship

Question 30

competition can result in:

Answer 30

• Competitive ethics and poor sportsmanship
• Acceptance of cheating
• Doping
• Post-competition aggression

Question 31

doping

Answer 31

• Every country has had an incident of doping
• Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor, was found to have been doping throughout his career
• Seoul 1988: the 100 m dash was considered the “dirtiest race in history”: 6/8 runners were found doping

Question 32

do we need to teach kids competitive skills?

Answer 32

• No, we don’t need to teach kids to be competitive
• We need to teach them how to be cooperative and work with others

Question 33

should we encourage organized sports?

Answer 33

• Organized sports can be dangerous
• Instead, we should encourage informal sports

Question 34

competition in other contexts

Answer 34

competition also takes place in the context of other important roles. such as a friend, romantic partner, or parent

Question 35

21st-century job market

Answer 35

Growth in the 21st-century job market is in social skills, particularly the intersection of social skills and math skills

Question 36

David Demming, 2015 on the modern work world

Answer 36

Preschool classrooms look a lot like the modern work world. Children move from art projects to science experiments to the playground in small groups, and their most important skills are sharing and negotiating with others