Gender as a moderator variable in the relationship between an intrinsic motivation scale and short-term novelty in children

Harter's (1980) Intrinsic-Extrinsic Orientation scale was examined for evidence of empirical and construct validity. We hypothesized that subscales defining the motivational component of intrinsic motivation would be correlated with novelty, a collative motivational variable. Partial support for the hypothesis was obtained for boys; correlations between novelty and Harter's Curiosity subscale were .57, .64, and .58 for boys in the third, fifth, and combined grades, respectively, and correlations approached significance for Harter's Challenge subscale. Not predicted were the correlations of .40, .68, and .46 obtained for girls in the third, fifth, and combined grades, respectively, between the Independent Judgment subscale (a cognitive-informational scale) and novelty. Results indicated that gender operated as a moderator variable, with boys expressing collative motivation directly in an action-oriented form, and girls demonstrating it somewhat indirectly in a thought-oriented form.