The Psychology of Motivation

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

Transcript

1. The Psychology
   of Motivation
   by Nicolas McCurdy
   

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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
   

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

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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.
   

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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!
   

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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.
   

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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
   

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