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On the Importance of Self-Determination for Intrinsically-Motivated Behavior
Abstract
Yoked pairs of subjects solved puzzles such that one member of each pair was given choice about what puzzles to work on and how much time to allot to each, while the yoked subject was assigned the same puzzles and time allotments as those chosen by the first subject. It was predicted and found that subjects who chose the activities and time allotments -in other words, who had additional self-determination--would be more intrinsically motivated than subjects doing the same activity without choice.
... Together pick time and confirmation time is the amount of time needed to complete a pick order. Pickers are likely to work faster due to increased autonomy in task self-selection (Zuckerman et al. 1978). The effect of task self-selection on pick time may also benefit from confirmation time, i.e., the time to prepare for task execution. ...
... However, evidence shows that task self-selection negatively predicts pick time among pickers who pay attention to choosing (robustness checks). In line with the literature that discusses the role of autonomy as intrinsic motivation to positively affect performance (Cerasoli et al. 2014, Ryan and Deci 2000, Zuckerman et al. 1978, this finding confirms that pickers are more intrinsically motivated to pick faster when they have the freedom to choose instead of simply following instructions. At the same time, this finding is limited to pickers who exercise their task self-selection by seriously focusing attention in the selection process. ...
... Decades of research document that choice freedom, and the perceived autonomy it fosters, lead to favorable outcomes, including increased affect, enjoyment, and satisfaction (Deci and Ryan 1985;Langer 1975;Zuckerman et al. 1978). Choice freedom enhances consumer well-being by enabling consumers to make consumption decisions that align with their preferences (Baumol and Ide 1956;Hotelling 1929;Mussa and Rosen 1978) and by reducing postpurchase psychological distress (Brehm 1966;Festinger 1957). ...
The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes the need to reduce inequalities based on disability to ensure a life of dignity for all. However, the marketplace has yet to fully address the needs of consumers who experience systemic choice restrictions and daily barriers due to disabilities. This article offers a conceptual framework that identifies sources of sensory, cognitive, behavioral, and social (mis)matches in a consumer's journey, leading to perceptions of marketplace inclusion or exclusion. The authors examine the role of inclusive design in facilitating the alignment of abilities and its impact on consumer well-being and firm profitability. The article concludes with a stakeholder-focused inclusive design research agenda at the intersection of public policy, firm strategy, and consumer well-being.
... Conversely, participants who saw single-bid donation requests were not able to choose how to divide their donation. As such, it is possible that participants who saw multiple bids had more agency-control over the manner in which their donations were distributed-and were therefore motivated to give more (e.g., as predicted by self-determination theory; Rifkin et al., 2021;Zuckerman et al., 1978). ...
Public Significance Statement
People contribute hundreds of billions of dollars annually to charitable causes via online fundraising platforms. Many of these platforms allow people to make a single donation which is then divided and distributed to many charitable causes, removing the need for people to spend time choosing between multiple deserving recipients. But could presenting aid requests in this manner actually render fundraising campaigns less effective? In the present experiments, we reliably find that listing multiple causes in an appeal for aid increases donation amounts without decreasing the proportion of people who donate. We also establish the real-world relevance of this manipulation through a large-scale natural experiment, which showed that presenting donors with multiple-cause aid requests increased the average donation by nearly 20%. Findings indicate that fundraising campaigns could increase their donations by billions of dollars annually, if they present donors with multiple-cause aid requests after bringing them to the donation page.
... According to SDT, the need for autonomy is satisfied when one is free in their choices such that it is in accordance with their selfunderstanding (Buil et al., 2020;DeCharms, 1968;Deci et al., 2017). The more choices a person has, the more autonomy they experience (Zuckerman et al., 1978). Therefore, an openended response format allows applicants to sketch a response that better aligns with their self-understanding regarding preferences and behaviors and to add explanations or examples, which may lead to experiencing more autonomy. ...
In today’s employment market, it is important to use selection instruments that resonate positively with applicants. To advance the theoretical understanding of why applicants react differently to different selection instruments, this study examines how the satisfaction of basic psychological needs influences applicant reactions, specifically perceived interpersonal warmth and opportunity to perform. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects design, this study systematically manipulated two method factors, namely, the stimulus format (written vs. interactive) and the response format (open-ended vs. close-ended) of selection instruments that were designed to measure the same personality traits. Drawing on self-determination theory, this study proposes and tests the satisfaction of the needs for relatedness, autonomy, and competence as a mechanism to explain the relationships between specific method factors and applicant reactions. Regarding the stimulus format, results indicated no effect on need satisfaction, but a positive effect of an interactive stimulus format on interpersonal warmth, when combined with an open-ended response format. Regarding the response format, results indicated that an open-ended response format increased perceptions of opportunity to perform, mediated by greater satisfaction of the need for autonomy. Practical implications for the design of selection instruments are presented.
In a series of four online experimental studies (total N = 3,562), we investigated the performance augmentation effect and psychological deprivation effect of human-generative AI (GenAI) collaboration in professional settings. Our findings consistently demonstrated that collaboration with GenAI enhanced immediate task performance. However, this performance augmentation effect did not persist in subsequent tasks performed independently by humans. Importantly, transitioning from collaboration with GenAI to solo work led to an increased sense of control of human workers, and was also accompanied by significant decreases in intrinsic motivation and increases in feelings of boredom. These results highlight the complex dual effects of human-GenAI collaboration: It enhances immediate task performance but can undermine long-term psychological experiences of human workers.
Keyboarding skills may be important prerequisites for LD students' effective and efficient computer use. The two goals of this study were to examine LD students ' acquisition of keyboarding skills over 7 hours of instruction and to assess the differential effects of drill-and-practice and game formats on students' keyboarding speed and accuracy, attitudes, and continuing motivation to practice keyboarding. Results indicated that, although students made statistically significant gains in keyboarding speed over the course of the study, format had no effect on skill acquisition and attitudes. The game format, however, appeared to have a detrimental effect on students' continuing motivation. Implications for keyboarding instruction, software selection, and future research are discussed.
This study investigates effects of choice in a reading comprehension task. It hypothesises that choice will act as a trigger for situational interest, impacting engagement with the reading text, and will therefore improve children’s performance in a reading comprehension task, and promote higher levels of enjoyment for that task. Participants were 110 Grade 3 pupils (61 boys, 49 girls). Reading comprehension performance and task enjoyment were measured in a cross-over, repeated measures design where children were either allocated a short story or offered a perceived choice of story to read. In fact, all children read the same story in each condition. Reading comprehension scores and post-test reported enjoyment scores were gathered and analysed. Choice was found to significantly affect comprehension scores (Cohen’s d = 0.52) and reported task enjoyment (Cohen’s d = 0.23), indicating that choice impacts engagement with a reading text. Effects did not vary by gender or ability. Reading motivation promoted by situational interest may play an important role in reading comprehension and choice may be an effective trigger for situational interest in a reading task and a powerful intrinsic motivator. Situational interest, triggered by choice, may be effective in raising enjoyment levels for a reading task.
Although loyalty programs (LPs) with different redemption levels offering different reward options have frequently been used, our understanding of customer redemption behavior is rather limited. The current research suggests that a consumer’s decision to redeem a reward may depend on the number of options offered at different redemption levels. Four studies show that redemption levels with a higher number of options are perceived as relatively more attractive than levels with a lower number of options, which increases the likelihood that a consumer will redeem a reward. However, this effect weakens when the redemption level with fewer options offers familiar brands. Our findings provide novel theoretical insights into how consumers react to LPs with different redemption levels. From a managerial perspective, this research suggests strategies that retailers can use to restructure their LPs and increase the likelihood of retaining consumers over the long term.
A field experiment was conducted to assess the effects of enhanced personal responsibility and choice on a group of nursing home residents. It was expected that the debilitated condition of many of the aged residing in institutional settings is, at least in part, a result of living in a virtually decision-free environment and consequently is potentially reversible. Residents who were in the experimental group were given a communication emphasizing their responsibility for themselves, whereas the communication given to a second group stressed the staff's responsibility for them. In addition, to bolster the communication, the former group was given the freedom to make choices and the responsibility of caring for a plant rather than having decisions made and the plant taken care of for them by the staff, as was the case for the latter group. Questionnaire ratings and behavioral measures showed a significant improvement for the experimental group over the comparison group on alertness, active participation, and a general sense of well-being.
It was hypothesized that some of the characteristics frequently observed among the aged--such as feelings of depression and helphlessness, as well as accelerated physical decline--are at least in part attributable to loss of control. A field experiment in which institutionalized aged were randomly assigned to one of four conditions was carried out to assess the effects of increased control and predictability upon the physical and psychological well-being of the aged. Individuals in three of the four conditions were visited by college undergraduates under varying contingencies, while persons in the fourth condition were not visited and served as a baseline comparison group. Subjects in the control condition could determine both the frequency and duration of visits they recieved. A second group of subjects (predict) was informed when they would be visited and how long the visitor would stay, but had no control over these details. A third group (random) was visited on a random schedule. It was found that predictable and controllable positive events have a powerful positive impact upon the well-being of the institutionalized aged.
Theories of motivation built upon primary drives cannot account for playful and exploratory behavior. The new motivational concept of "competence" is introduced indicating the biological significance of such behavior. It furthers the learning process of effective interaction with the environment. While the purpose is not known to animal or child, an intrinsic need to deal with the environment seems to exist and satisfaction ("the feeling of efficacy") is derived from it. (100 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).