COGNITIVE FACTORS IN MOTIVATION pg 454

There are many Cognitive factors that influence Motivation.  Too name a few  one must include:

GOALS 

     ( Within Goals there are Learning goals versus Performance goals)

EXPECTATIONS and VALUES

INTEREST

ATTRIBUTIONS

INTERNALIZED MOTIVATION

Let’s look at each of these factors more closely:

GOALS  pg 465

Goals motivate people to move in a particular direction.  Example:  If our goal is to teach, you must acquire a teaching certificate, which dictate that you do or have accomplish certain things.

It should, however, be noted that goals are beneficial only if they are accomplished. 

If they are too high or unrealistic, failure to achieve may result in excessive stress.

Researchers have identified numerous goals people set for themselves.  To name a few, one might include:

        Gaining physical comfort and personal well being

        Doing well in school

        Making a good impression on others

        Getting married and having children

        Gaining wealth

        Gaining social or political power

While the goals previously listed, cover a broad area, most of us have core goals……..that is, goals of considerable priority for us at a given point in time, that seem to drive what we do.

Consequently, Goals fall into various categories.  Two categories are:

LEARNING GOALS VERSUS PERFORMANCE GOALS

LEARNING GOALS entail a desire to achieve competence by acquiring additional knowledge or mastering new skills.

PERFORMANCE GOALS entail a desire to look good and receive favorable judgment from others or not to look bad in the eyes of others.

Table 17-1 page 469 in the text gives an extensive lists of characteristics of people with learning and performance goals.   

EXPECTATIONS AND VALUES pg 461

Expectations and Values are Cognitive factors that effect Motivation. 

CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN HOW THESE TWO EFFECT MOTIVATION?

If you Expect to succeed, at a particular task you will be motivated to attempt it.  If  you fear that you might fail, you are not likely to attempt the task.  (Success is more attitude than Aptitude)

In Values: You must believe there is benefit in doing something well. You place Value on the task if you are going to be motivated to accomplish it.  One might view it as in the old saying “What’s in it for me”?

INTEREST pg 462

When we say that people have interest in a particular topic or activity, we mean that they find the topic or activity enticing.

Interest, then is a form of Cognitive Motivation.  Theorist propose two types of interest

Personal Interest

Social Interest

CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THE DIFFERNCE BETWEEN THE TWO?

PERSONAL INTERESTS are relatively stable over time, and we see a consistent pattern in choices of people to engage in the interest.  For example:

Those who like Football will watch games on Saturday, Sunday Monday night and any other time there is a game on.  This pattern remains consistent.  The only thing that ends the pattern is the end of the season.

SOCIAL INTEREST is generally evoked by something in the environment, something that is perhaps new, unusual, or surprising.  Social interests are not as long lasting or enduring as personal interest.  For example:

The Author of our text relates an incident while driving to Boulder Colorado one day several years ago.  She saw what looked like a llama out of the corner of her eye. Well she knew very well that Colorado’s eastern plains are cattle and horse country, not llama country, so she slowed down to take a closer look, eventually confirming the unlikely llama hypothesis.  For the time being she was more interested in identifying the strange creature she had seen than getting to Boulder.