What’s Cognitive Motivation?

Motivation can be defined as a state or process in the mind that stimulates, promotes, and controls action toward a goal. Cognition is the means by which the mind obtains knowledge and relates to thought processes and perception. In psychology, cognitive motivation is a theory that seeks to explain human behavior in terms of examining and considering the information received, as opposed to an integrated set of instructions that govern responses to different situations. In other words, a human action results from a thought process, rather than an automated response based on preprogrammed rules.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

Psychologists and behavioral scientists generally recognize two forms of motivation, although this is not universally accepted. Intrinsic motivation refers to tasks that are rewarding in and of themselves, such as the enjoyment of solving a puzzle, learning, or playing. In these cases, the motivating factor is internal. Extrinsic motivation involves engaging in a task due to external factors, such as working for money and food, or taking actions to avoid harm. Theories of motivation attempt to explain how behavior directed by these factors occurs.

Theories of needs-based motivation would state that a person chooses the job that best allows him to provide for his needs, which usually involves making money to get food and shelter and to provide for children. Cognitive motivation theories explain why people sometimes choose jobs they enjoy more even if they pay less and provide less. There is an intrinsic motivating factor that drives people to do things just for the enjoyment of it, even if that means sacrificing their own needs to some extent.

Cognitive motivation is based on two main things: available information and past experience. A person will think about a situation based on what sensory input is available and will also refer to their past and try to relate previous experiences to the situation at hand. Theories of motivation are used in education, sports, the workplace, and in helping people overcome health problems such as poor diet, overeating, and alcohol or drug abuse. Under the broad title of cognitive motivation, behavioral scientists have developed a number of theories about why people take actions that are not mutually exclusive.

social cognitive theory
According to this theory, behavior is strongly influenced by observing others. People learn by considering other people’s actions and whether these actions have led to success or failure, reward or punishment, and so on. It is not always necessary to interact with others to be influenced by them; experiments have shown that television, video and other media can have a major effect on behavior and motivation. There is more than just copying someone else’s behavior: the observer thinks about what he sees and draws conclusions from it. This type of learning is often faster and can be more secure than a trial and error approach.

Self-determination
This approach is based on intrinsic motivation and claims that individuals are motivated by intrinsic psychological needs, three of which have been identified. Competence is the need to achieve a successful outcome of a task through one’s own efforts; autonomy is the need to be in control, or at least significantly influence, the events of one’s life; and relatedness is the desire to be connected to others through social interaction. Studies have found that introducing extrinsic factors, such as financial rewards, tends to undermine intrinsic motivation. People engaged in a task that satisfies the need for autonomy, for example, may tend to focus more on the reward and find the task itself less satisfying.
Attribution
Attribution theory deals with people’s perceptions of the reasons for their successes and failures. There are three main elements, depending on whether individuals attribute successes and failures to internal or external factors, to stable or unstable factors, or to controllable or uncontrollable factors. People in general tend to view their successes as due to internal factors, such as talent and hard work, and their failures as due to external factors, such as bad luck or the actions of others. Some gender differences are also evident: men tend to consider skill as the main factor of success and laziness as the reason for failure; women tend to attribute success to hard work and failure to inability. Studies have shown that people are less likely to change their behavior when they consider failure due to factors that are both stable and beyond their control.

Expectation-Value
This theory states that a person is motivated to pursue a goal by a combination of his expectations of success and his estimate of his worth. Value is determined in terms of the cost of pursuing the goal and the possible reward for achieving it. When both expectation and value are considered high, an individual will be highly motivated and show commitment and determination. When both are low, motivation is low and the person will not pursue the goal, or only halfway through it.
competing theories
Cognitive motivation is just one of many explanations for why people and animals do what they do. Most theorists who do not support this idea believe that motivation is needs-based or drives reduction. Needs-based motivation assumes that people’s actions are based on their needs, such as food, water, or reproduction. Drive reduction theories are based on the idea that animals, including humans, have powerful drives for food, sex, and other goals, and that they are motivated to act only to reduce these drives. Cognition may have a place in these theories, but it is not thought of as the basis of motivation and behavior.

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