Why We Do What We Do Ch. 4

Question 1

impact of extrinsic control

Answer 1

Extrinsic control gets people focused on the outcomes only, which can lead to shortcuts

Question 2

example of the dangers of extrinsic control

Answer 2

Commission salespeople will often deceive and manipulate others if that is what is needed to make the sale

Question 3

Flow (Csikszentmihalyi)

Answer 3

occurs when time seems to disappear, intensity in the process takes over, and the thrill is so great that one hates seeing it end

Question 4

when is flow usually present?

Answer 4

during intrinsically motivating experiences

Question 5

instrumental reason

Answer 5

everything is evaluated in terms of its cost-benefit ratio

Question 6

modern society is built on ____

Answer 6

instrumental reason

Question 7

Deci on instrumental reason

Answer 7

we should be more concerned with the experience of intrinsic motivation

Question 8

extrinsic control in education

Answer 8

In education, grades are the primary means of extrinsic control

Question 9

Deci and Benware testing in college students study

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

Deci and Benware testing in college students study takeaway

Answer 10

testing decreases intrinsic motivation in college students

Question 11

Ryan and Grolnick testing in elementary school students study

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Ryan and Grolnick testing in elementary school students follow-up

Answer 12

one week later, they were asked about the material they had read, and those who expected to be graded remembered much less

Question 13

Ryan and Grolnick testing in elementary school students study takeaway

Answer 13

when people learn with the expectation of being tested, they focus on memorizing facts and don’t grasp the concepts as well

Question 14

tests and learning

Answer 14

Giving tests isn’t productive if the goal is long-term learning

Question 15

Kage testing in Japanese public schools study

Answer 15

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

Question 16

problem-solving and intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation

Answer 16

People perform less well at problem-solving when they are working for an extrinsic reward

Question 17

performance and enjoyment of activities vs control

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

when can rewards and controls speed up performance?

Answer 18

when tasks are simple and routine tasks and the rewards are based on how many units of work are done

Question 19

intrinsic motivation is associated with:

Answer 19

• Richer experience
• Better conceptual understanding
• Greater creativity
• Improved problem-solving skills

Question 20

motivating power of rewards and controls

Answer 20

Rewards and other controls do have motivating power

Question 21

problems with relying on rewards and controls

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

when should we definitely not use reards

Answer 22

to motivate something that could be made exciting in its own right (ex. reading)

Question 23

pay-for-performance

Answer 23

involves compensating employees for each specific piece of work they do

Question 24

example of pay-for-performance

Answer 24

sales commission

Question 25

Deci on pay-for-performance

Answer 25

these practices can motivate people, but they will likely encourage shortcuts and undermine intrinsic motivation

Question 26

impact of rewards as motivators

Answer 26

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

Question 27

caveat of using rewards

Answer 27

Rewards need to be equitable (people who give more get more)