Trends and Prospects in Motivation Research

422 Pages·2001·11.46 MB·English

by  Todd M. Thrash

TRENDS AND PROSPECTS IN MOTIVATION RESEARCH
TRENDS AND PROSPECTS
IN MOTIVATION RESEARCH
Edited by
Anastasia Efklides
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Julius Kuhl
University of Osnabrück,Germany
and
Richard M. Sorrentino
University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ix
A. Efklides and R. M. Sorrentino
ListofContributors xxiii
PartOne:Achievementandtask-relatedmotivation
1 Delimiting and integrating achievement motive and goal constructs 3
T.M. Thrash and A. J. Elliot
2 Howtocombineintrinsictask-motivationwiththemotivational
effectsofthe instrumentality of present tasks for future goals 23
W. Lens
3 Theroleofperceivedinstrumentality instudentmotivation 37
H. Creten, W. Lens, and J. Simons
4 Experimentallyinducedeffectsofgoaldistanceintimeonthe
relationsbetweenachievementmotives, futuretimeorientation
and indications of performance in sports 47
T. O. Thomassen, H. Halvari, andT. Gjesme
5 Motivation, performanceand satisfactionatschool:
The significance ofthe achievement motives–autonomy interaction 65
D. CockandH. Halvari
6 Teaching and parenting styles related to children’s achievement
motivation and learning outcomes 85
W. van Werkhoven,A. vanLonden, andL.M. Stevens
7 Mappingthe domain of autonomy support:
Fiveimportantwaystoenhance orunderminestudents’ experience
of autonomy in learning 101
A. AssorandH. Kaplan
8 Amodel ofmotivational changeintransitioncontexts 121
J. MacCallum
vi
9 Learninginbasicelectricity: Howdomotivation, cognitivefactors,
andclassroomclimateinfluenceachievementinphysics? 145
Ch. von Rhöneck, K. Grob, G. W. Schnaitmann, and B. Völker
10 Goal orientationsandaction-controlbeliefs:
Across-culturalcomparisonamongCroatian,Finnish, and
Japanese students 163
M. Niemivirta, M. Rijavec, andH. Yamauchi
Part Two: Motivation, cognition, and self-regulation
11 A theory of uncertainty orientation:
The interplay of motivation, cognition, and affect 187
R.M. Sorrentino,A.M. Walker, G. Hodson, andCh. J. R. Roney
12 Overcomingdefensivefeedbackseeking:
The role of perceived ability and perceived control over assessed
attributes 207
Y. Trope, R. Hassin, andB. Gervey
13 Changes intask orientation and self-evaluation across phases
ofa transition 221
T. L. Chartrand, D. N. Ruble, and Y. Trope
14 Afunctionalapproachtomotivation:
The role ofgoal-enactmentand self-regulation in current
research on approach and avoidance 239
J. Kuhl
15 Motivation,informationprocessingandperformance:
Effectsofgoal settingonbasiccognitiveprocesses 269
J. Wegge
16 Metacognitiveexperiences inproblem solving:
Metacognition, motivation, and self-regulation 297
A. Efklides
17 The effects of general success-related beliefs and specific
metacognitiveexperiences on causal attributions 325
P. Metallidou and A. Efklides
18 Optimismasamoderator of the effect of state orientation
ontheevaluationofnegativelifeevents 349
B. Bossong
vii
19 Geneticvs. Environmentaldeterminantsoftraits, motives,
self-referential cognitions, andvolitionalcontrol inoldage:
FirstresultsfromtheMunichTwinStudy(GOLD) 359
U. Geppert and F. Halisch
20 Motives,personalgoals, andlifesatisfactioninoldage:
FirstresultsfromtheMunichTwinStudy(GOLD) 389
F. Halisch and U. Geppert
Subject index 411
PREFACE
Anastasia Efklides and Richard M. Sorrentino
This book originated from the International Conference on Motivation: 6th Work-
shop on Achievement and Task Motivation, which was held in Thessaloniki,
Greece, in March 1998. The papers presented at the conference not only showed
the theoretical developments already accomplished in the field of motivation, but
the ones to come. This book, then, is a witness to the passage of the new era.
Motivation research embodies a variety of concepts; some of them emphasizing
the affective aspect of motivation and some the cognitive aspect. This often pre-
vents our understanding ofthe precise mechanism underlying the formation of the
various motives, as well as their interrelations. The problem is further compounded
when we wish to examine the relation ofthese mechanisms to overt action, as well
as affect and cognition. On the other hand, such attempts suggest that the field of
motivation has considerable potential not only for furthering theoretical integration
within its own field, but for theoretical integration in other fields of psychology as
well. This is particularly true for cognitive psychology, since motivation is inter-
twined with cognition. Motivation holds the unique role of the energizer of behav-
ior and determines the direction and strength ofbehavior. Cognition refers to the
mechanisms and products of information processing. It is their interrelation that is
of interest to many current motivation and cognitive psychologists.
Affect may also be part of the motivational process or it may accompany or re-
sult from the activity in which the person is engaged. It is, therefore, an indispen-
sable part of motivational and self-regulatory or volitional processes that along with
cognition affect behavior or performance (Martin & Tesser, 1996). Psychological
theory is not yet in position to offer detailed accounts of how motivation, affect,
cognition, and volition function and interact to produce the behavior or perform-
ance we are observing in specific situations or contexts. Yet, the goal is there and
theoretical efforts already exist that set the scene for a deeper understanding of the
processes involved and their underlying mechanisms.
ix
A. Efklides et al. (eds.) Trends and Prospects in Motivation Research, ix-xxii
© 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers, Printed in the Netherlands
x A. EFKLIDES, R.M.SORRENTINO
There have been motivational theories in the past which provide a solid basis
for understanding motivational processes: Theories and concepts which marked
the development of the field include achievement theory, intrinsic-extrinsic moti-
vation, action theory, goal theory, and in the 1990s volition and self-regulation
(Atkinson & Birch, 1970; Deci, 1971; Diener & Dweck, 1978; Dweck, Chiu, &
Hong, 1995a, 1995b; Kuhl, 1989; McClelland, Atkinson, Clark, & Lowell, 1953;
Murray, 1938; Nicholls, 1989; Zimmerman & Schunk, 1989). Although there is a
lot of research along the lines of each theory, there is an emerging trend towards
integration of the various approaches, at least as regards achievement and task-
related motivation. This is not true as regards self-regulation, where there is still
much to be done in terms of concept clarification and specification of the phenom-
ena it involves (Boekaerts, 1996; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Kuhl, 1989; Zimmerman,
1995; Zimmerman, & Schunk, 1989).
With respect to the relations of motivation with cognition, one main trend is in
the social cognition research that started with the work of Lewin (1935) and Heider
(1944), and more recently with the work of Weiner (1985), on causal attributions.
Although this approach has offered a lot of insight into the motivational strength of
one’s cognitions, it does not explain the mechanism that underlies the functioning
of social cognition, nor does it explain if and how motivation affects cognitive
processes such as memory, thinking, and decision-making. This latter issue repre-
sents another trend in motivational research, which started in mid 1980s. Sorren-
tino and Higgins (1986), for example, put forward their notion of the Warm Look,
where motivation and cognition are seen as synergistic. That is, “hot cognitions”
cannot be separated from “cold cognitions”.
The role of affect as modulator ofcognitive processing is also little studied, with
research that started in the 1990s (see Carver & Scheier, 1990; Martin & Tesser,
1996), as is the role of affect in motivation, cognition, and self-regulation. Al-
though motivation was originally conceived as affective in nature (at least in the
achievement motivation research, see Sorrentino, Walker, Hodson, & Roney,
chapter 11 in this volume and Thrash & Elliot, chapter 1 in this volume), the em-
phasis on the cognitive aspects of motivation, namely goals, during the last decades
has turned attention away from affect. In recent years, however, affect has been
rediscovered and even given a primary role in the modulation of cognition (see
Kuhl, chapter 14 in this volume).
With regard to cognitive psychology, we find that there are many rigorous theo-
ries regarding the functioning of cognitive processes such as perception, memory,
or thinking. It is only in the last decade, however, that cognitive psychology turned
its attention to phenomena related to motivation and self-regulation such as self- or
auto-noetic memory (Wheeler, Stuss, & Tulving, 1997), metacognition (Metcalfe &
Shimamura, 1994), and consciousness (Bargh & Chartrand, 1999). Thus, the re-
cent developments in motivation and cognitive psychology allow for a more com-
prehensive approach to cognition, motivation, and self-regulation.
PREFACE xi
The above remarks imply that the field of motivation is in a transitional phase,
moving towards integration of established theories and closer examination of con-
cepts and phenomena that expand its scope. The framework that allows a higher
integration of existing theories is one that emphasizes the role of affect as a modu-
lator of cognition and the self as the orchestrator of motivation, cognition, and vo-
lition. The differentiation of conscious, analytic, explicit, as opposed to noncon-
scious, holistic, and implicit processes that underlie the effects of affect and the self
is a critical aspect of the theoretical framework that is being formed. This differen-
tiation links the present motivational research with the rest of cognitive psychologi-
cal research. Affect, the self, and consciousness are three pieces of the puzzle of
human experience and behavior that already attract scientific attention and form
research priorities. These issues are explicitly discussed in papers included in this
volume and an effort is made to link the new framework with the existing motiva-
tional theories. In this way the title of the book, which refers to “trends” and
“prospects” in motivation research, is justified.
The book is organized in two parts. The first part is centred on achievement
motivation and its integration with current goal theories. The implications of these
theories with respect to self-determination and autonomy supporting environments
are also examined. Another issue examined is students’ motivational change in
school, in general, and in more concrete situations such as learning a specific
school subject. The last chapter of the first part of the book deals with another issue
of growing interest in motivational research, namely, cultural effects on goal ori-
entation and action-related beliefs.
The second part of the book focuses on the relation of motivation with cognition
and self-regulation. Unlike the first part of the book where motivation was studied
mainly in the school context, the second part offers a broader perspective in terms
of the contexts studied. The emphasis is on adults, but the age range starts with
adolescence and ends with old age. Although the motivational constructs studied
include or originated from achievement motivation theories, the emphasis is on
other motivational constructs such as certainty vs. uncertainty orientation, the self
in feedback seeking (self-assessment) and during phases of transition, the role of
affect in goal-enactment and self-regulation, the effects of motivation on cognitive
processing, the relations of metacognition with motivation and self-regulation, and
the interrelations between motives, personal goals, action control, and life satisfac-
tion in old age. In what follows, a brief presentation of the various chapters is given
so that the reader gets a more detailed picture of the book, the richness of the field,
and the prospects formed.
Thrash and Elliot (chapter 1) offer an in depth analysis and presentation of ba-
sic concepts in motivation theories, such as need, motive, goal, energization, and
direction, and show not only the development of achievement theory since Murray
(1938) but also the theoretical integration already accomplished in this domain in
the 1980s with achievement goal theories. Yet, there are new developments in this
domain, as suggested by the hierarchical model of achievement goals proposed by