Discuss the theory that explains the overjustification effect
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: This is an important observation of self-determination theory, one supported by both cognitive dissonance theory and self-perception theory. It is significant because it means that, with the best intentions, individuals can undermine the motivation of others. Basically it is a phenomenon in which an individual is initially intrinsically motivated to do something because they find the activity interesting and engaging, inherently enjoyable and rewarding. Now, by the process of starting to externally reward this activity, the intrinsic motivation is devalued and what used to be an intrinsically motivated activity is now extrinsically motivated. This would be particularly disastrous for children and must occur all the time at the start of school. Suddenly an activity, like reading, that used to be done naturally is done only for external rewards that are furnished as part of a school program designed to engage students in reading. The exception to this is if a means of “reward” carries only information. In that case, overjustification tends not to occur.
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Rogoff and colleagues found that once certain cultural biases in educational training
were controlled, children living in Western and non-Western cultures performed similarly in a. memorizing long lists of factual information. b. reconstructing a visual scene from memory. c. memorizing long lists of surnames. d. reconstructing the events that took place at the scene of an accident. e. memorizing long lists of numbers.
Little Karla is with her mother at the docks waiting for her daddy to return from his naval deployment. While the boat is still a ways out, her mother says, "There is daddy's boat." Karla is confused
She cannot understand how her dad can be on a boat that is so small that she can hold up her thumb and boat disappears. It's safe to assume that Karla does not yet understand a. size constancy. b. shape constancy. c. brightness constancy. d. color constancy.