Intrinsic Motivation - #1

["Anton O. Tolman, Ph.D." <ANTON@wsh.state.wy.us>]

I will warn all in advance, I anticipate this to be a moderately lengthy
post, but I think it is worth sticking with.  I will be summarizing an
article written by H. Carl Haywood entitled "Task Intrinsic Motivation".  I
have asked Dr. Haywood to inform me if the article has been submitted to
publication since it is not indicated in the document.  I found this a
fascinating read because it provides scientific support for Deming's comments
and points about our educational system and about the importance of intrinsic
motivation while also "extending" some of that understanding and clarifying
it.  It also links very directly back to Myron's many postings and
discussions about the work of Dr. Feuerstein and Cognitive modifiability and
its link to intrinsic motivation.  I think you will all enjoy it.  If it
starts looking too long, I'll split it up into #1 and #2.

Summary:

Dr. Haywood starts by noting that a common question that arises in child
development and education concerns why children with the same age, sex, and
IQ may differ greatly in how effectively they learn.  Teachers seem to reply
that "motivation" is the discriminating factor, but are seldom able to give a
more detailed answer.

Haywood usese a definition developed by Hunt to say that "intrinsic
motivation" is "inherent in information processing and action."  In other
words, it is joy that comes from taking in, transforming, and expressing
information.  As he puts it, "mental activity as its own reward and for its
own sake."  He then summarizes some studies on the effects of individual
differences in intrinsic motivation.

He starts with a graphic summary of several recent studies comparing
children's performance on the Metropolitan Achievement Test using standard
scores.  The children were divided into groups defined as primarily
Extrinsically Motivated (EM) and Intrinsically Motivated (IM) children.  The
separation was made using  a simple test which asks children to make choices
between extrinsic and intrinsically motivated situations.

The results show that across the domains of Reading, Arithmetic, and
Spelling, that IM kids achieve, on average, consistent superiority over EM
kids over a three year period.  The only exception to this is the kids with
Superior IQ.  Haywood explains this by noting that the effects of individual
motivation on tasks do not show up on "easy" or simple tasks and for children
with IQ's of 120 or above, all of the school work in the 1st three grades is
considered easy and can be accomplished without much effort or motivation.

He then compares the performance of the EM *average IQ* kids to the IM
mentally retarded kids and notes that there was no significant difference
between the groups "suggesting that individual differences in intrinsic
motivation can make a difference in school achievement that is as large as
that usually associated with 15 - 25 IQ points."  He also notes that similar
results have been obtained in Tennessee, Puerto Rico, New York, Mexico, and
Israel, making this a robust finding.

Haywood qualifies some of the discussion by noting that there have been found
reliable individual differences in "motivational orientation" as early as
three years of age.  He also comments that everyone typically seems to have
some of both kinds of motivation in different situations, but the relative
balance between the two is what develops into a "durable personality trait."
[Anton comment - this concept of motivational orientation as being a
personality trait is interesting to me and has implications and tie-in to
Deming's description of the process of destruction or crushing of intrinsic
motivation that occurs in our society and in our educational systems].

Haywood then summarizes the literature to note that persons that manifest a
predominantly IM pattern share the followig characteristics:
 =  they prefer novel to familiar stimuli and complex to simple ones
 =  they take reasonable risks
 =  they like to determine their own schedule and their own rewards [So what
do we do to our employees when *we* determine their rewards or attempt to
enforce a pattern of extrinsic motivation in organizations?]
 =  they learn more effectively than others do in many learning situations,
including school
 =  they tend to use what they learn in more future situations
 =  when given choices, they prefer situations that offer opportunities for
learning, responsibility, challenge, and creativity to those that offer ease,
comfort, safety, security, and money
 =  They work best when they can control their own situations, and giving
them material rewards such as candy or money actually *reduces their work
output and their motivation* [Tie this in to Deming's examples in TNE]
 =  They enjoy better mental health and when they do have psychological
problems, they respond more positively to treatment
 =  They are more likely to succeed in independent living and work situations
than are others with the same age, sex, and IQ, even when they are mentally
retarded


[Anton's comments - this list seems to me like a useful list for managers to
be aware of and to fit squarely within Deming's concept of Psychology; that
managers need to understand how their people learn and to foster intrinsic
motivation in their organizations.  These points indicate that an
organization, a community, a nation, would be better served by fostering
intrinsic motivation in its people -- they would be happier,  more
productive, and more effective over time.]

In my next post, I will hopefully conclude my summary of Haywood's article
on how motivation develops and how to possibly alter it for the better.

Anton Tolman, PhD, CPHQ, Psychological Services Manager &
Quality Management Coordinator, Wyoming State Hospital
P.O. Box 177, Evanston, WY  82931-0177
Anton@wsh.state.wy.us    (307) 789-3464
"All great things are done for their own sake."   -- Robert Frost
========================================================================