7&8: Control. Motivational effects of failure, success &self-efficacy Flashcards
*Why did Seligman & Maier use a tripartite design?
To compare 2 conditions which delivered the exact same QTY of stressor. The difference was the subjects ability to control the stressor.
*What are the long term effects of uncontrollable stressors?
Cognitive, motivational and emotional impairment
*What does Dp=0 mean? What does it mean when Dp>0 or Dp<0?
Dp= delta 0. This means there is no contingency between behaviour and O, therefore the behaviour cannot be learnt to cause that outcome.
Delta p>0 =+ve delta p: Subject believes that their action (R) is causing O
Delta p <0= -ve delta p: Subject believes that their R causes something NOT to happen (eg if I scream for ice-cream I’m not going to get it)
*What are the different ways optimistic and pessimistic people attribute success or
failure?
Optimistic people:
Success= because I'm good at it (internal) Failure= some external event caused failure
Pessimistic ppl:
Success= some external event made me lucky Failure= internal, I'm not good enough
*What is optimism bias, and how does it affect peoples’ tendencies to undertake risky behaviours?
Optimism bias is peoples unrealistic belief that although a behaviour is risky they will not be negatively affected by it eg unsafe sex, smoking. It causes ppl to increase risky behaviour
*How does one calculate the Expected Utility (EU) of Success (Us), and what role does Ps (probability of success) have in behavioural choice?
Eg: how far will you stand from the bin to aim the screwed up paper in?
When the Ps is high, the Us is low eg if I stand right next to the bin my Ps is high but my Us is low because it doesn’t feel very rewarding, therefore ppl are likely to choose the moderately hard option because although Ps is only moderate, or even low, Us will be high.
Calculation: EU= Ps x Us
*Define intrinsic motivation
Behaviour driven by internal satisfaction such as playing music or gardening. Also high risk behaviours eg Napoleonic soldiers who got paid very little to risk their lives.
*Define extrinsic motivation
Behaviour driven by external rewards: Tangible (eg money) or psychological (fame, praise, status).
*What is self-determination theory (SDT)?
Define it’s 3 factors: competence, relatedness and autonomy.
Deci &Ryan, 1985
SDT increases intrinsic motivation via competence, relatedness and autonomy. A good way to increase desired behaviour
Competence: The better I get at playing violin, the more I enjoy it and want to play more- positive feedback cycle increasing competence. Also video games/ martial arts- constant drive for next level
Relatedness: Universal desire to interact, connect and care for others
Autonomy: An important motivator. The desire for free choice, the urge to be the causal agent of your own life
How do performance-dependent rewards increase intrinsic motivation?
Compare this to task-dependent rewards, stating the 2 types, using Eisenberg and Cameron’s 1996 model.
Performance-dependent rewards signal autonomy and competence by giving the level of performance meaning (must exceed a certain level of competence to attain reward). This learning process is also known as learned industriousness, the opposite to LH.
Task-dependent rewards such as performance-independent and task completion-dependent rewards signal coercion and lack of effort. Performance has no value, no intrinsic motivation to perform well is created.
Name and define the 2 types of task-dependent rewards
Performance-independent: Rewarded for doing task, regardless of quality/ completion
Task completion-dependent: Rewarded for finishing task, regardless of quality
Why should children be praised on their behaviour rather than ‘person praise’?
What is the repercussion of ‘person praise’?
They’ll attribute future failure to a technique problem rather than losing overall confidence in themselves.
Repercussion: less motivation to engage in future takss
According to Blackwell, Trzesniewski and Dweck’s study, what are the repercussion of:
a- believing that intelligence is innate
b- believing it’s learned
Believing intelligence is learned improves performance
