When Trying to Win: Competition and Intrinsic Motivation

Males and females solved interesting puzzles in the presence of a same-sex confederate who posed as a second subject doing the same activity. Half the subjects were instructed to compete against each other (i.e., to try to solve the puzzles faster than the other person) while half were simply instru...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality & social psychology bulletin 1981-03, Vol.7 (1), p.79-83
Main Authors: Deci, Edward L., Betley, Gregory, Kahle, James, Abrams, Linda, Porac, Joseph
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Males and females solved interesting puzzles in the presence of a same-sex confederate who posed as a second subject doing the same activity. Half the subjects were instructed to compete against each other (i.e., to try to solve the puzzles faster than the other person) while half were simply instructed to work as quickly as they could so as to finish in the allotted time. The results showed a significant main effect in which competition decreased intrinsic motivation. 7his was particularly true for females.
ISSN:0146-1672
1552-7433
DOI:10.1177/014616728171012