The primary purpose of this research study was to determine if scores from a measure of self-reported motivation, the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), increased ability to predict persistence during the student's first 2 years of college. This scale was designed by Robert Baker of Clark College (Massachusetts) and was designed specifically to measure academic motivation to succeed in college. This study examined contribution of the AMS to the prediction of attrition after controlling for the traditional variables used in predicting college performance. These variables included the Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, high school percentile rank, gender, and socioeconomic status of the family.A sample of 221 matriculating college freshmen from intact classes were used in this study. Random assignment of the classes assured a representative sample.A regression analysis was used to determine what contribution scores on the AMS made to the prediction of attrition when the traditionally used variables (Sex, SES, SATV, SATM) were held constant. The conclusion of the analysis revealed that the AMS did not add significantly to the prediction of attrition in this study. / Department of Educational Psychology

Both causal attributions and self-efficacy have been theorized as mediating performance on achievement tasks. However, few studies have explored the relationship between these constructs or in what way they may be affected by peer modeling. The purpose of this study was to explore developmental differences between two grade levels in the effect of modeling on persistence, self-efficacy judgments, and choice of attributions for predicted and actual outcomes on a figure-matching puzzle, and the relationship between self-efficacy and causal attributions. Seventy-three eighth graders and 73 third graders were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions or to a control condition. Four videotapes for each grade level, showing a male peer modeling either high or low persistence and success or failure on a figure-matching puzzle, constituted the experimental conditions. Subjects' attributions for various outcomes in achievement settings were recorded one week prior to the experimental session and at its conclusion, on the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility scale. Attributions for predicted and actual outcomes on a figure-matching puzzle were also recorded. Students' persistence on the nearly-impossible puzzle was measured by time in seconds, while an efficacy scale assessed their belief regarding their ability to solve the puzzle at three times during the experimental session. Significant differences were found between the grade levels for self-efficacy ratings, with third graders reporting greater efficacy beliefs than eighth graders. A significant change in self-efficacy ratings was also found, but it was not possible to determine which aspect of the experimental session was responsible for the change. Distribution of the attributions was severely skewed on both sets of attribution measures, in favor of an internal stable cause (effort), precluding meaningful analyses of the relationship between self-efficacy and attributions. It was also found that attributions changed significantly over time and the experimental experience as measured by the questionnaires. No significant effect of modeling on persistence time was found. The research findings were discussed in terms of the research methodology used, the psychometric properties of the instruments, and implications for the theoretical models.

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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 M54 / Master of Science / Physical Education, Dance, and Leisure Studies

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The purpose of the study was to determine if perceived severity of the consequences of physical inactivity is an important component for exercise motivation in college students. The participants of the study were 581 college students who had enrolled in HSC 160, Fundamentals of Human Health, at Ball State University during the spring semester of 2001. Using a cross-sectional data collection process, participants completed a survey instrument consisting of the stages of change for exercise scale, the perceived severity of the consequences of physical inactivity scale, and demographic questions.The data were analyzed using both univariate and bivariate analyses. Specific descriptive and inferential statistic analyses were used to: 1) determine the degree of association between the participants' perceived severity and their identified stages of change for exercise, 2) examine the relationship between the stages of change for exercise and the participants' demographic characteristics, and 3) determine the difference between perceived severity of consequences of physical inactivity and the Participants' demographic characteristics. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Placebo has been found to be an important component of treatments including psychological and pharmacological treatment of depression, transplant surgery for Parkinson’s, acupuncture, smoking cessation interventions, and analgesic treatment of pain. Although the placebo effect has been observed across a wide range of disciplines, the effect sizes vary widely and it is not well understood how placebo effects are produced. The current study draws upon research in perception and motivation to propose a more comprehensive model of the placebo effect. Specifically, the model proposes that more motivated persons pay greater attention to bodily sensations and other stimuli, which are then interpreted according to expectations, producing a placebo response. In the current study, both motivation and outcome expectancy were manipulated, creating a 2x2 study design. College students (N=152) were asked to evaluate a series of placebo pheromone substances (slightly scented water) and attention/task diligence was assessed as the amount of time spent on the rating task and the number of evaluations made. The placebo response was assessed as the attractiveness rating of the chosen sample and the variability in ratings, with greater variability and higher attractiveness ratings indicating greater placebo response. It was predicted that those in the high motivation group would have greater diligence on the rating task, which would, in turn, lead to greater placebo response. It was further predicted that there would be a main effect for expectancy on placebo response. Consistent with hypothesized effects, more highly motivated students had greater placebo responses, and the relationship was mediated by task diligence. Thus, as students spent greater time on the evaluation task, they found the scent of their chosen sample to be more pleasing and perceived greater differences among samples. No effect was found for expectancy. These findings are important because they suggest possible mechanisms for maximizing treatment effects in medical and psychological settings, where factors such as nonspecific treatment effects and placebo are believed to influence outcomes. Future research should seek to further clarify the relationship of expectancy and motivation to placebo outcomes by examining mediating factors such as attention and carefully manipulating both variables to ensure maximum effects.

Master of Science

The Cognitive Evaluation Theory explains the outcomes of studies employing Deci's paradigm, but only when used post hoc. A basic assumption is that extrinsic rewards always increase intrinsic motivation for nonhuman subjects. Deci's paradigm was modified for use with 22 rats to test this assumption. Running in an exercise wheel was the intrinsically motivated activity studied. ANCOVA revealed that external rewards increased intrinsic interest on the first day following the cessation of reinforcement (F = 8.32), but on two subsequent days and again a week later, no significant differences between the reward and control groups were evident (F = .29; F = .33; F = 3.70). The assumption was not supported. It was demonstrated that repeated posttest measures are necessary to avoid basing conclusions upon one point along the extinction continuum.