PSY336H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter Week 3 Readings: Cognitive Evaluation Theory, Motivation, Behaviorism
PSY360 Week 3 Goal and Motivation Reading Notes
Article 1: Ryan, Deci: Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation,
social development, and well-being
• Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET) is subtheory of SDT, and examines conditions that
promote or undermine intrinsic motivation. CET says competence (positive feedback on
task) enhance in. motivation, but only if the task was autonomous, i.e. self-determined,
internal locus of causality.
• ext. rewards diminish int. motivation b/c it fosters an external locus of causality, aka less
autonomy.
• Intrinsic motivation is also more likely to flourish in socially supportive environments
(relatedness).
• CET is only applicable to activities that are already intrinsically motivated. The
principles of CET tell you what conditions foster or forestall intrinsic motivation.
• OIT (Organismic Integration Theory): a subtheory of SDT that details diff forms of
extrinsic motivation and the contextual factors that promote or hinder
internalization/integration of these behaviours. i.e. how to make ext mot into int mot.
• Self-determination continuum:
• Extrinsic Motivations:
1. External Regulated: behaviours are performed to satisfy external demand or
reward. Person feels controlled. Ex. Operant theory.
2. Introjected Regulation: behaviours are performed to avoid guilt or anxiety or to
attain ego enhancements like pride. Represents regulation by contingent self-
esteem. Ex. People are motivated to demonstrate ability in order to maintain
feelings of worth.
3. Regulation through Identification: the action is accepted or owned as personally
important.
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4. Integrated regulation: occurs when identified regulations are fully assimilated to
the self. They are congruent with one’s other values and needs. Shares qualities
with int. motivation but still remains ext. b/c done to obtain separable outcome.
• OIT suggests: Because extrinsically motivated behaviours are not interesting in
themselves, they are performed initially because prompted. This means that relatedness is
important for internalization. More relatedness supportive environment = more
internalization.
• OIT also suggests that supports for competence also facilitate internalization.
• OIT also suggests that autonomy facilitates internalization and is a critical element for
regulation to be integrated.
• Within SDT, autonomy does not refer to being independent, detached or selfish. It refers
to the feeling of volition that can accompany any act. i.e. autonomy does not equal to
individualism.
• Self-determined activities = intrinsically motivated, or extrinsically motivated but fully
internalized and integrated.
• Authenticity = self-determined activities.
• Alienation and inauthenticity = basic psychological needs for relatedness, competence,
and autonomy have been thwarted.
• SDT says humans have inclination towards activity and integration, but also have
vulnerability towards passivity. When basic psychological needs are not met, we fall
towards passivity.
• Fulfilling the basic psychological needs of a person moves him to intrinsic motivations,
which bring more wellbeing.
Article 2: Goals, Congruence, and positive wellbeing: new empirical support for humanistic
theories. Sheldon and Kasser 2001.
• Psychologists say humanism is not science because no empirical support.
• Humanist psychologists despise quantitative methods because it’s dehumanizing; they
think the “person” gets lost in the quantitative measures. They think quantitative
measures are too simplistic and reductionist.
• Positive Human Motivation = studying the factors that positively or negatively affect
personal goal striving, that is, people’s proactive attempts to make improvements in their
lives.
Defining Positive Motivation
• Carl Rogers: fully functioning humans are those acting in accordance with an
“organismic valuing process” within themselves. This process allows them to perceive
their underlying condition and choose what’s best to do to further self-adaptation and
self-development.
• Maslow: innate need for self-actualization.
• Within SDT’s PLOC (Perceived Locus of Causality) continuum, the 4 dimensions
represent important past theories on human motivation.
1. Intrinsic Motivation = innate motives for curiosity and growth that humanistic
and organismic psychologists have insisted are vital to human functioning and
development.
2. Extrinsic Motivation – external motivation = Operant Behaviourism.
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