Title
The impact of task difficulty expectations on intrinsic motivation
Abstract
Two studies investigated expectations of task difficulty induced prior to task involvement and their impact upon an individual's subsequent intrinsic interest. Expectations of task difficulty were manipulated through easy/hard instructions by the experimenters. Interest, but not performance, varied as function of expected task difficulty, with "easy" eliciting greater interest than "hard" instructions. The generality of this finding was supported by its demonstration in studies utilizing different experimenters (male, female), subject populations (children, college), and tasks (perceptual-motor, cognitive). © 1983 Plenum Publishing Corporation.
Department(s)
Psychology
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992962
Publication Date
3-1-1983
Recommended Citation
Hom, Harry L., and Frederick R. Maxwell. "The impact of task difficulty expectations on intrinsic motivation." Motivation and Emotion 7, no. 1 (1983): 19-24.
Journal Title
Motivation and Emotion
