Why We Do What We Do Ch. 5

Question 1

issues with motivation in central-planning systems

Answer 1

• Countries with totalitarian, central planning systems have been remarkably ineffective in motivating their workers
• Deci: this is because they lack behaviour-outcome linkages

Question 2

instrumentalities and motivation

Answer 2

• Motivation requires that people see a relationship between their behaviour and desired outcome, and instrumentalities are the linkages that allow people to see these behaviour-outcome relationships
• But, instrumentalities can also be a means of control which negatively affects intrinsic motivation

Question 3

control

Answer 3

involves using instrumentalities to pressure people to behave in particular ways

Question 4

do instrumentalities have to be used to control?

Answer 4

no, they don’t

Question 5

reward contingencies in American society

Answer 5

Reward contingencies are built into American culture, but they have failed to motivate about ¼ of the population

Question 6

what is needed for behaviour-outcome linkages to serve as motivators?

Answer 6

people must understand them, see them as relevant to their lives, and have the capabilities to utilize them

Question 7

what is needed for extrinsic motivation to work as a motivator?

Answer 7

there must be clarity about what behaviours are expected, and what outcomes will result from those instrumental behaviours

Question 8

what is needed for instrumentalities to be effective motivators?

Answer 8

People must feel competent in the instrumental behaviour

Question 9

Connell and Skinner on achieving desired outcomes

Answer 9

people must have the strategies and capacities for attaining desired outcomes

Question 10

competence and motivation

Answer 10

• Competence is important for both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
• Extrinsic contingencies specify competency requirements
• Intrinsic contingencies integrally intertwine enjoyment of the activity and competence

Question 11

what rewards are linked to intrinsic motivation?

Answer 11

the feelings of enjoyment and accomplishment that accrue spontaneously as the person engages in the activity

Question 12

when does competence occur?

Answer 12

when one takes on and meets optimal challenges

Question 13

Deci puzzle-solving and competence study

Answer 13

arranged for subjects in one group to succeed well at puzzle-solving and those in the other group to fail quite badly. He selected puzzles that were quite different in difficulty level, even though they appeared to be similar. He found that those who received evidence of their competence were subsequently more intrinsically motivated than those who saw evidence of incompetence

Question 14

Casco, Krussell, and Deci praise and competence study

Answer 14

gave positive feedback statements to half of the subjects and no performance feedback to the other group. They found that praising males increased their intrinsic motivation but praising females decreased their intrinsic motivation

Question 15

how did Casco, Krussell, and Deci explain their results?

Answer 15

This study happened in the 1970s when women were taught that being competent wasn’t as important for them as it was for men, making them hypersensitive to praise, viewing it as a means of control

Question 16

Casco, Krussell, and Deci feedback and competence study takeaway

Answer 16

if praise is ambiguous concerning whether or not it is controlling, men, and women may interpret it differently (women seem to have a greater tendency to experience it as controlling)

Question 17

Ryan praise and competence study

Answer 17

used controlling and non-controlling praise and found that controlling praise decreased intrinsic motivation, while non-controlling praise kept intrinsic motivation high

Question 18

impact of competition on intrinsic motivation

Answer 18

• Competition can be viewed as providing challenge, increasing intrinsic motivation
• But, if it is viewed as a pressure to win, it will undermine intrinsic motivation

Question 19

what is needed for competence to yield positive results?

Answer 19

it must be accompanied by autonomy

Question 20

how should we provide negative feedback?

Answer 20

When providing negative feedback, you should start by asking the person how they feel that an experience went because when you are autonomy-supportive, people are amazingly accurate at evaluating their performance