Criticism of the Theory of Motivation

The theory of motivation is a theory which takes the executora＇s motivation as the basis of moral judgment. One presupposition of the theory is that motivation can be a common object of understanding. However, motivation exists only in the heart of the executor, and cannot be known exactly by others, so motivation cannot be perceived like a common object, and thus, logically, cannot be the basis of moral judgment. Even if the executor＇s motivation is accepted by others and turned into a common object, the motivation still cannot become the valid basis of a moral judgment. This is the dilemma of the theory of motivation. In practice, the dilemma appears as follows： if one insists on the theory of motivation, one can be led to the result that people do evil with good intentions. However, just because motivation cannot be the basis of moral judgment does not mean that motivation is of no significance. Good motivation is always better than evil motivation. Therefore, in moral education we should carry out motivation education and teach people to strive to have good motivations for their behavior. This is the value of motivation theory.     

学习动机整合理论的建构与研究展望

动机整合理论为研究学习动机提供了新的视野,本文参照动机整合理论,建立学习动机整合的概念.学习动机整合是指在学习过程中,个体通过自我调节,逐步内化外部控制因素、增强学习自主性的过程.学习动机的整合状态是最理想的学习动机状态.学习动机整合水平评定工具的修订、学习动机整合水平及其相关因素的调查分析、促进学习动机整合的策略研究是研究学习动机整合问题中需要关注的三个方面.     

社会动机理论视角下自闭症谱系障碍者的社交缺陷

社交缺陷是自闭症谱系障碍的核心症状。以往研究更多从社会认知的角度指出该症状是心理理论损伤所致, 但自闭症谱系障碍个体在获得心理理论之前已表现出社会动机不足的特质, 且部分能通过心理理论测试的个体依旧表现出社会动机不足的特点。社会动机理论指出社会动机是促进人类进化、激发和维持个体社会性活动的重要内部动力, 自闭症谱系障碍者的社交缺陷是由于社会动机不足所致。该理论从行为表现、神经科学和生物学三个方面对自闭症谱系障碍者的社交缺陷进行解释。未来应进一步完善自闭症谱系障碍个体社会动机的神经机制研究, 明确社会动机理论在自闭症谱系障碍群体中的适用范围, 探究社会动机理论在评估诊断和临床康复中的应用价值。     

创业动机研究：概念结构、影响因素和理论模型

创业动机是驱动个体创业的心理倾向或动力, 它是个体创业行为发生的有效预测变量。在介绍完创业动机的概念、结构和测量工具的基础上, 文章综述了影响创业动机的因素, 包括大五人格特质、自我效能感、目标和环境因素等。接着着重阐述了经典创业动机理论, 包括拉动和推动理论、简单和复杂理论, 以及新近提出的解放理论。最后对未来研究进行了评价和展望。     

The action–trait theory of motivation: A commentary on Roy F. Baumeister’s 2014 address to the Society for the Study of Motivation

Roy F. Baumeister’s 2014 presidential address to the Society for the Study of Motivation was a call to motivation scientists to address the lack of a grand theory of motivation and to encourage them to begin working on one. This commentary addresses some of the requirements of such a theory and discusses the relatively new action–trait theory of motivation as a viable candidate for such a grand theory of motivation. Action–trait theory is based on historic “purposive psychology” and incorporates the methods of individual differences psychology. It can be represented in eight falsifiable hypotheses, three of which have already received empirical support.     

动机的结构与效应：基于动机连续体的视角

动机是影响学生学业成绩重要的非认知因素。通常认为动机对学习是有利的,但研究发现并非所有动机都是有益的,这提醒研究人员有必要区分出各种不同的动机类型。现有研究一致表明内部动机对学业成就具有积极且长期稳定的效应,而外部动机的效应尚存在争议。具体而言,有研究者认为外部动机对学业成就是有害的,但部分研究发现外部动机在某些特定情况下能够发挥着不可或缺的积极作用。 针对上述存在的争议,本研究梳理了“动机连续体”这一概念,从两个方面的研究来进行阐释。首先,从大理论的角度整合了动机的相关理论,以自我决定理论的动机连续体为基础,引出相关理论,如兴趣理论、目标理论、期望价值理论、自我价值理论、强化理论、社会认知理论等。这些理论可以解释动机连续体中一种或几种类型的动机。 其次,从动机的结构及其如何影响结果变量这一角度对上述理论及其应用进行总结,主要存在四个观点。传统的争论集中在单维结构和多维结构之间。单维结构认为内部动机和外部动机是相互对立的,即内部动机会促进绩效,而外部动机会降低绩效。多维结构认为内部动机和外部动机能够相互累加,都能促进绩效。近年来,研究人员提出了更复杂的结构来整合上述观点。譬如半辐射结构使用全局因子来表示动机的整体水平,同时允许特定因子表示具体动机类型。这种半辐射结构借用了双因子模型,提取了一个“自我决定因子”,同时允许每种特定动机类型具有自身独特的影响。此外,乘积模型表明这两种动机之间存在交互作用,即外部动机的对结果的影响会因个体内部动机水平的变化而变化,反之亦然。 综上所述,本研究总结了关于动机连续体的不同理论之间的优缺点,回顾了动机结构的不同假设及其应用。在不同学科中对动机的测量方式、动机对不同结果变量的不同影响以及动机的跨文化研究等问题仍然是目前研究的热点。对动机结构和效应的深入探讨可以更好地帮助研究人员将不同的理论应用于适当的情境中。     

A grand theory of motivation: Why not?

Baumeister asks what a grand theory of motivation might look like, and he identifies the key problems, challenges, and opportunities that need to be considered in its pursuit. I address four of these challenges—how to define motivation, whether motivation is a state or a trait, the primacy of motivation in psychology, and the necessity to not only manage motivational conflict but also to vitalize motivational assets. I focus primarily, however, on the key obstacle that prevents a grand theory—our non-shared assumptions about the nature and dynamics of motivation. I suggest we capitalize on new advances in statistics, methodology, and technology to test what used to be untestable assumptions about motivation. Shared assumptions are necessary for a coherent science, and only a coherent science is capable of constructing a general theory.     

自主－受控动机效应及应用

自我决定论是一种新的动机认知理论,它将动机区分为自主动机和受控动机。由受控动机到自主动机是一个连续体。在这个连续体上依据自主程度的高低分布着5种不同类型的动机。大量的研究表明不同类型动机之间存在不同的效应。而在实际应用中,要实现由受控动机向自主动机的转化,自主支持的环境是被证实的一个重要的因素。未来研究除了在研究方法上加以改进之外,在促进动机内化的具体应用研究方面还要进行更深入的探讨。而国内本土化研究则刚刚起步,有待于加强     

目标理论述评

目标理论是近年来成就动机研究领域的一个热点 ,学者们基于对目标概念、目标功能的不同理解 ,提出了各种目标理论。本文着重介绍了目标设置理论、动机系统理论和成就目标理论 ,剖析了不同学者对目标结构的性质、功能及其作用机制的理论观点。     

Does intrinsic motivation fuel the prosocial fire? Motivational synergy in predicting persistence, performance, and productivity

Researchers have obtained conflicting results about the role of prosocial motivation in persistence, performance, and productivity. To resolve this discrepancy, I draw on self-determination theory, proposing that prosocial motivation is most likely to predict these outcomes when it is accompanied by intrinsic motivation. Two field studies support the hypothesis that intrinsic motivation moderates the association between prosocial motivation and persistence, performance, and productivity. In Study 1, intrinsic motivation strengthened the relationship between prosocial motivation and the overtime hour persistence of 58 firefighters. In Study 2, intrinsic motivation strengthened the relationship between prosocial motivation and the performance and productivity of 140 fundraising callers. Callers who reported high levels of both prosocial and intrinsic motivations raised more money 1 month later, and this moderated association was mediated by a larger number of calls made. I discuss implications for theory and research on work motivation.     

Willing and able? Theory of mind,social motivation,and social competence in middle childhood and early adolescence

This study investigated the links between theory of mind, social motivation, and children's social competence in middle childhood and early adolescence. Two hundred and sixty four children (136 girls, 128 boys) aged between 8 and 13 years (M Age = 10.88 years, SD = 1.45) completed theory-of-mind tests and self-report questionnaires measuring social motivation. Teachers rated children's social competence at school. Teacher-rated social competence was associated with individual differences in both theory of mind and children's motivation to develop and maintain social relationships. Results suggest that while individual differences in social motivation and theory of mind are partially overlapping, both theory of mind ability and social motivation contribute to successful social interaction at school.     

安全动机在安全绩效模型中的作用：自我决定理论的视角

在日常工作中, 安全动机是员工保持安全行为的重要决定因素。安全动机对安全绩效的影响虽然已引起研究者的关注, 但相关的实证研究缺少清晰的理论界定和有效的测量工具。本项目拟在安全绩效模型的基础上, 借鉴自我决定理论对动机的分类, 将安全动机的类型进行扩展, 并在多层次模型中探讨安全动机在变革型领导、个体特征和安全绩效之间的中介作用, 以及在中国管理背景下可能存在的边界条件。研究将结合访谈、问卷和情境实验等方法对上述变量间关系进行相关和因果关系的探讨。本项目将自我决定理论与安全绩效模型相结合, 可以为安全研究的动机理论发展做出贡献; 研究结果亦可为安全管理实践提供评价工具和有效指导。     

Toward a general theory of motivation: Problems,challenges, opportunities,and the big picture

Motivation theories have tended to focus on specific motivations, leaving open the intellectually and scientifically challenging problem of how to construct a general theory of motivation. The requirements for such a theory are presented here. The primacy of motivation emphasizes that cognition, emotion, agency, and other psychological processes exist to serve motivation. Both state (impulses) and trait (basic drives) forms of motivation must be explained, and their relationship must be illuminated. Not all motivations are the same, and indeed it is necessary to explain how motivation evolved from the simple desires of simple animals into the complex, multifaceted forms of human motivation. Motivation responds to the local environment but may also adapt to it, such as when desires increase after satiation or diminish when satisfaction is chronically unavailable. Addiction may be a special case of motivation—but perhaps it is much less special or different than prevailing cultural stereotypes suggest. The relationship between liking and wanting, and the self-regulatory management of motivational conflict, also require explanation by an integrative theory.     

Effects of differences in achievement motivation and amount of exposure on responses to uncontrollable rewards

Within a triadic experimental design, 80 subjects classified as high or low in achievement motivation were given either standard or extended exposure to uncontrollable rewards. Subjects high in achievement motivation displayed facilitation following standard training that was eliminated following extended training. While this conforms with Wortman and Brehm's model integrating reactance theory and learned helplessness theory, in general the results were more accurately described by predictions based on a modification of the theory of achievement motivation. Because the experimental procedure induced the perception of uncontrollability independently of perceived failure, the results were seen as extending the generality of the latter theory.     

Classroom effects on student motivation: Goal structures, social relationships, and competence beliefs

Psychologists and educators have often conceptualized motivation as an individual difference variable, something that some students simply have more of than other students. This view of motivation can underestimate contextual influences. In this article we consider how characteristics of the school and classroom may influence student motivation, as well as the role of educators in shaping school and classroom climate. We describe three motivational perspectives: achievement goal theory, self-determination theory, and social-cognitive theory. The effects on motivation of social relationships with teachers and peers are also considered.     

Work Motivation and Performance: A Social Identity Perspective

Work motivation and performance were analysed from the perspective of social identity theory and self-categorisation theory. Central in this analysis is the relation of organisational identification with the motivation to exert effort on behalf of the collective. A theoretical analysis as well as a review of empirical studies of the relationship of organisational identification with motivation and performance leads to the conclusion that identification is positively related to work motivation, task performance, and contextual performance to the extent that (a) social identity is salient, and (b) high performance is perceived to be in the group's or organisation's interest.     

Self-esteem,motivation and school attendance among sub-Saharan African girls: A self-determination theory perspective

Sub-Saharan samples are severely under-represented in the psychological literature. Taking an ecological approach, the current study examines key propositions derived from self-determination theory in a sample of adolescent girls in Mozambique. As a framework theory, self-determination theory consists of six sub-theories. We test the main premises of two of these theories: organismic integration theory and basic psychological need theory. In line with organismic integration theory, we assess the role of intrinsic, extrinsic, introjected and identified motivation for school attendance. We also test the possible moderating role of the ecological variable resource scarcity. The second part of the study focuses on the main premise of the basic psychological need sub-theory, which states that satisfaction of the needs for relatedness, competence and autonomy underlies intrinsic motivation, goal-directed behaviour (school attendance) and well-being (self-esteem). The study also assesses the moderation of resource scarcity in these relationships. Results provide support for both sub-theories of self-determination theory. Resource scarcity is not found to moderate the relationships between motivation and attendance or between need satisfaction and well-being, motivation and attendance. Implications for the universality claim of self-determination theory, as well as for the field of international development aid, are discussed.     

Protection motivation and self-efficacy: A revised theory of fear appeals and attitude change

The effects of fear appeals on persuasion were investigated in a factorial experiment that was designed to test a combined model of protection motivation theory and self-efficacy theory. As predicted, the probability of a threat's occurrence and the effectiveness of a coping response both had positive main effects on intentions to adopt a recommended preventive health behavior. More importantly, the findings provided support for self-efficacy expectancy as a fourth component of protection motivation theory: Self-efficacy had a direct influence on intentions and interacted with two other variables of protection motivation theory. The interaction effect was interpreted in terms of two new decision-making strategies that people use when confronted with a fear appeal: a precaution strategy and a hyperdefensiveness strategy. In addition, the results replicated previous findings on the relationship between self-efficacy expectancy and outcome expectancy. A model incorporating protection motivation theory and self-efficacy theory is presented as a possible general model of attitude change.     

For love or money? What motivates people to know the minds of others?

Mood affects social cognition and "theory of mind", such that people in a persistent negative mood (i.e., dysphoria) have enhanced abilities at making subtle judgements about others' mental states. Theorists have argued that this hypersensitivity to subtle social cues may have adaptive significance in terms of solving interpersonal problems and/or minimising social risk. We tested whether increasing the social salience of a theory of mind task would preferentially increase dyspshoric individuals' performance on the task. Forty-four dysphoric and 51 non-dysphoric undergraduate women participated in a theory of mind decoding task following one of three motivational manipulations: (i) social motivation (ii) monetary motivation, or (iii) no motivation. Social motivation was associated with the greatest accuracy of mental state decoding for the dysphoric group, whereas the non-dysphoric group showed the highest accuracy in the monetary motivation condition. These results suggest that dysphoric individuals may be especially, and preferentially, motivated to understand the mental states of others.     

Intrinsic motivation,external reward,and their effect on overall motivation and performance

An unresolved debate lingers concerning the effect of performance-contingent rewards on motivation and performance. Behavioral psychology and economics suggest that performance-contingent rewards improve performance. In contrast, cognitive evaluation theory predicts that performance-contingent rewards undermine motivation and performance. We discuss the predictions of these two streams and develop an experiment that resolves the limitations of previous studies by using a new measure of intrinsic motivation: self-selection into a specific area of knowledge, as revealed by choice of academic major. Students from mathematics-related and literature-related areas were selected and randomly assigned to math and English language tests. Participants received a participation fee or a performance-contingent payment in addition to a fee. Both performance-contingent rewards and intrinsic motivation improved motivation and performance, in contrast with cognitive evaluation theory’s predictions.