Motivational Processes Affecting Motivational Processes Affecting

LearningLearning APA CitationAPA Citation

Dweck, C.S.(1986). Motivational Dweck, C.S.(1986). Motivational processes processes

affecting learning. affecting learning. American American PsychologistPsychologist, ,

7878, 1040-1048., 1040-1048.

What we are going to talk about today:What we are going to talk about today: Adaptive & maladaptive motivational Adaptive & maladaptive motivational patternspatterns Contrast learning and performance Contrast learning and performance goalsgoals Relation of ability and motivationRelation of ability and motivation Experiences that foster adaptive Experiences that foster adaptive patterns.patterns.

Motivational Processes Affecting Motivational Processes Affecting LearningLearning

By: Carol Dweck By: Carol Dweck Focus: Motivational processes that affect success Focus: Motivational processes that affect success

on cognitive tasks.on cognitive tasks.

Beliefs: Psychological factors determine how Beliefs: Psychological factors determine how effectively the individual acquires & uses skills.effectively the individual acquires & uses skills.

Approach: Social-cognitiveApproach: Social-cognitive Objective:Objective:

- Characterize adaptive & maladaptive patterns, - Characterize adaptive & maladaptive patterns, explain them in terms of specific processes.explain them in terms of specific processes.

- Provide conceptual & empirical basis for - Provide conceptual & empirical basis for intervention & practice.intervention & practice.

Adaptive vs. Maladaptive Adaptive vs. Maladaptive patternspatterns

Adaptive PatternsAdaptive Patterns Promotes the establishment, Promotes the establishment,

maintenance, attainment of maintenance, attainment of personally challenging goals.personally challenging goals.

Effective persistence in the face Effective persistence in the face of obstaclesof obstacles

Enjoy exerting effort in the Enjoy exerting effort in the pursuit of task mastery.pursuit of task mastery.

Studies have shown Studies have shown performance facilitated by performance facilitated by increased challenge.increased challenge.

Maladaptive PatternsMaladaptive Patterns Failure to establish reasonable, Failure to establish reasonable,

valued goals, or strive towards valued goals, or strive towards these goals.these goals.

Challenge avoidance & low Challenge avoidance & low persistence in the face of difficulty.persistence in the face of difficulty.

Evidence of negative affect & self Evidence of negative affect & self cognition's when confronted with cognition's when confronted with obstacles.obstacles.

Studies have shown that Studies have shown that acquisition & display of cognitive acquisition & display of cognitive skills when faced with obstacles is skills when faced with obstacles is hindered.hindered.

Performance and Learning Performance and Learning GoalsGoals

Task choice and pursuit process Task choice and pursuit process is built around ability level. is built around ability level.

Results in a tendency to avoid & Results in a tendency to avoid & withdraw from challenge or show withdraw from challenge or show impaired performance in the face impaired performance in the face of obstacles.of obstacles.

Seek to gain favorable Seek to gain favorable judgements & avoid negative judgements & avoid negative judgements of their competence.judgements of their competence.

Task choice and pursuit process Task choice and pursuit process involve a focus on progress and involve a focus on progress and mastery through effort. mastery through effort.

Creates a tendency to seek Creates a tendency to seek challenge.challenge.

Seek to increase competenceSeek to increase competence

Learning and Performance Goals Learning and Performance Goals ContrastedContrasted: Goals and task choice: Goals and task choiceLearning GoalLearning Goal: : Tend to choose challenging tasks that foster Tend to choose challenging tasks that foster

learning regardless of abilitylearning regardless of ability Willing to risk display of ignorance in order to Willing to risk display of ignorance in order to

acquire skills and knowledgeacquire skills and knowledge

Performance GoalPerformance Goal:: Tend to choose personally easy tasks on Tend to choose personally easy tasks on

which success is insured OR excessively which success is insured OR excessively difficult tasks in which failure does not signify difficult tasks in which failure does not signify low ability.low ability.

This goal promotes defensive strategies that This goal promotes defensive strategies that interfere with challenge seeking.interfere with challenge seeking.

Goals & Task Pursuit:Goals & Task Pursuit:outcome interpretation and outcome interpretation and

impactimpact

Learning GoalLearning Goal:: Use obstacles as cues to increase effort or to Use obstacles as cues to increase effort or to

analyze & vary strategiesanalyze & vary strategies Results in improved performance in the face of Results in improved performance in the face of

obstacles.obstacles.

Performance Goal:Performance Goal: Attribute errors of failure due to lack of ability; Attribute errors of failure due to lack of ability;

views them as predictive of continued failureviews them as predictive of continued failure Results in defensive withdraw of effort or Results in defensive withdraw of effort or

debilitation in the face of obstacles.debilitation in the face of obstacles.

The Relation of Ability & Motivation:The Relation of Ability & Motivation:Does ability predict motivational pattern?Does ability predict motivational pattern?

Girls preferred tasks they knew they were good Girls preferred tasks they knew they were good at.at.

Boys preferred tasks that they would have to work Boys preferred tasks that they would have to work harder at to master.harder at to master.

Being a high achiever and knowing one has done Being a high achiever and knowing one has done well in the past does not translate directly into well in the past does not translate directly into high confidence in one’s abilities when faced with high confidence in one’s abilities when faced with future challenges or current difficulties. future challenges or current difficulties.

Nor does it clearly predict maintenance of one’s Nor does it clearly predict maintenance of one’s ability to perform or learn under these conditions. ability to perform or learn under these conditions.

The Relation of Ability and The Relation of Ability and Motivation:Motivation:

Does motivational pattern predict ability over Does motivational pattern predict ability over time?time?

Drops in achievement can result from performance Drops in achievement can result from performance debilitation or task avoidance.debilitation or task avoidance.

Both the presence of failure or the opportunity to Both the presence of failure or the opportunity to avoid challenging subject areas may lead to avoid challenging subject areas may lead to cumulative skill deficits in children with maladaptive cumulative skill deficits in children with maladaptive patterns.patterns.

For good students grade school may not provide For good students grade school may not provide either of these.either of these.

It may be only in later years when these maladaptive It may be only in later years when these maladaptive tendencies have their impact on achievement.tendencies have their impact on achievement.

The Relation of Ability And Motivation:The Relation of Ability And Motivation:The Case of Sex Differences in Mathematical vs Verbal The Case of Sex Differences in Mathematical vs Verbal

achievementachievement

Grade school girls are equal with boys in Grade school girls are equal with boys in mathematical achievement but boys pull ahead mathematical achievement but boys pull ahead & remain ahead & remain ahead

New units in math after grade school involve New units in math after grade school involve new skills and conceptual frameworks = decline new skills and conceptual frameworks = decline in confidence in girlsin confidence in girls

Verbal areas are less challenging; no Verbal areas are less challenging; no qualitatively different tasks, only asked to bring qualitatively different tasks, only asked to bring existing skills to new material.existing skills to new material.

Experiences that foster Adaptive Experiences that foster Adaptive PatternsPatterns

Create high confidence performers Create high confidence performers and attempts by programming success and attempts by programming success & praise.& praise.

Positive reinforcement Positive reinforcement Teacher expectancy effects Teacher expectancy effects Incremental theory of intelligence Incremental theory of intelligence Attribution retrainingAttribution retraining

What we did today!What we did today!

Adaptive & maladaptive motivational patternsAdaptive & maladaptive motivational patterns Contrasted learning and performance goalsContrasted learning and performance goals Relation of ability and motivationRelation of ability and motivation Experiences that foster adaptive patternsExperiences that foster adaptive patterns