$30 off During Our Annual Pro Sale. View Details »

The Psychology of Motivation

Nick McCurdy
November 13, 2014

The Psychology of Motivation

A lightning talk giving a very simple overview of how people are motivated.

Nick McCurdy

November 13, 2014
Tweet

More Decks by Nick McCurdy

Other Decks in Education

Transcript

  1. The Psychology
    of Motivation
    by Nicolas McCurdy

    View Slide

  2. Types of Motivation
    Intrinsic Motivation: powered by personal reward
    ● Not typically affected by external rewards.
    ● Can be increased through praise.
    ● Can be decreased by external rewards that are too
    specific.
    Extrinsic Motivation: powered by wanting to receive
    reward or avoid punishment

    View Slide

  3. The Candle Problem
    Your goal is to light the candle
    without dripping wax onto the table.

    View Slide

  4. The Candle Problem: Solution
    Common Solutions:
    ● Melt the candle partially and
    try to adhere it to the wall.
    ● Tack the candle directly to the
    wall.
    Actual Solution:
    Put the candle in the box and
    tack the box to the wall.

    View Slide

  5. The Candle Problem: Research
    Participants were paid different amounts of money as
    reward for solving the problem successfully.
    Results:
    ● The task was easier when the tacks were not inside the
    box.
    ● The more people were paid, the less they succeeded!

    View Slide

  6. The Candle Problem and Motivation
    Functional Fixedness: "[A] mental block against using an
    object in a new way that is required to solve a problem."
    - Karl Duncker
    The Overjustification Effect: An external incentive can
    decrease the intrinsic motivation to perform a task.

    View Slide

  7. Sources
    ● http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation
    ● http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle_problem
    ● http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_fixedness
    ● http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overjustification_effect
    ● http://icreate-project.eu/index.php?t=245
    Want to access this presentation? http://goo.gl/XoNdRe

    View Slide