Module One

Week Two: Biological Theories of Motivation Continued--

Temperament

MODULE ONE: PERSPECTIVES

• Over the next four weeks, we will investigate the following motivational themes/perspectives:

• 1. Week one: evolutionary perspectives:

• 2. Week two: temperament- 2. Week two: temperament-

• Original Research Article Elliott and Original Research Article Elliott and Thrash, 2002Thrash, 2002

• 3. Week three self regulation- Carver, 2004• 4. Week Four

– A. learning: habits (summarize) – B. cognitive dissonance (summarize) week three

Some instruction first…

• Important Information:

• 1. We will be reading original research

• 2. You may benefit on information about how temperament is seen as “biological” opposed to learned

• 3. You may also benefit from some training on how to navigate through original research articles.

Temperament

• Physiological dispositions to respond to the environment in certain ways

• Present in infancy, assumed to be innate

• Relatively stable over time• Differs from personality (personality is

composed of temperament AND life experiences)

Temperament in Children• The numbers:

– 40%: "easy or flexible," – 10% "difficult, active, or feisty," – Many are a combination

• Easy or flexible children• calm, happy, regular in sleeping and eating

habits, adaptable, and not easily upset. • Difficult, active, or feisty children• fussy, irregular in feeding and sleeping habits,

fearful of new people and situations, easily upset by noise and commotion, high strung, and intense in their reactions.

In- Kathy K. Oliver, M.S., Understanding Your Child's Temperament (Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, Hardin County, Ohio State University Extension, The Ohio State University)

Temperament in Adults

• Approach Temperament• A predisposition or a “neurobiological sensitivity” to

positive events or stimuli (like rewards)• A watchfulness for positive events• A strong positive affective response toward positive

events and stimuli

• Avoidant Temperament• A predisposition or a “neurobiological sensitivity” to

negative events or stimuli (like threats)• A watchfulness for negative events• A strong negative affective response toward negative

events and stimuli

Biological Bases of Temperaments

• your text

Motivational and Emotional States Associated with

Approach-Oriented Brain Structure

Motivational and Emotional States Associated with

Approach-Oriented Brain Structure

Motivational and Emotional States Associated with

Approach-Oriented Brain Structure

Motivational and Emotional States Associated with

Avoidance-Oriented Brain Structure

Table 3.1 Motivational and Emotional States Associated with Specific Brain Structure

Motivational and Emotional States Associated with

Avoidance-Oriented Brain Structure

The Current Article

• “Approach-avoidance motivation in personality: Approach and avoidance temperaments and goals” (Elliot and Thrash, 2002)

• Please do NOT begin reading the article yet.. The following slides will offer some insight into the structure and language of research articles in general, followed by some specific instruction on this specific article

Tips • Look for answers to all of the following questions as you read any

research article:• What was the author’s objective (why do this study anyway?)?• What was the hypothesis?• What was the author’s justification for the hypothesis (in the intro)?• Name and know the operational definitions of all of the variables

under study.• How was the hypothesis tested?• What were the results?• If the hypothesis was incorrect, what were some possible reasons?• Were there any confounds? (i.e., was there some other variable,

other than the independent variable, that was unintentionally present in the study that could account for the results obtained in this study?)

• To whom do these results generalize?

Don’t Skim the Obvious!!

Overview of Current Study

Definition of Terms

Definitions, Continued

Limitations of previous research

Current Hypothesis

Current Hypothesis

Goal Setting

Kinds of Goals

Why goals are important to behavior selection

Goal Setting Style Hypotheses

On your own

• Summarize the method

• Describe to another person exactly what you would do if you were a participant in this study

On your own

• Summarize the results

• What is the relationship between the 3 traits they investigated and the temperaments that they named “approach and avoidant”?

• What is the relationship between a specific temperament a goal setting style?

What to specifically look for in the Elliot and Thrash Paper:

• Identify ALL of the variables under study (there are 4, each with 2 levels, and 1 with three levels).

• Know the authors’ operational definitions of all 11 terms (4 variables, times 2 levels each= 8 terms, plus one variable with 3 levels = 11 total terms to know).

• What relationships are the authors’ trying to establish between all of these variables? (This is basically where you are going to be spending most of your time…) Here’s a hint: create a flow chart:

Personality

____________ ___Goal Setting Style_

_____ ______ ______

• Know the hypotheses for studies 1-5.• What is the benefit of having goal setting as a means to create behavior, rather than

just relying on one’s temperament?• Why does it make sense that an avoidant temperament would set performance

approach goals?

Summary: Personality Traits Associated with Temperament

• Please look at your assigned textbook reading for a summary of extroversion and neuroticism.

Greater Venturesomen

ess (than introverts)

Greater Sociability

(than introverts)

Application Exercise: Approach and Avoidant Temperaments and Academic

Goal Setting Behavior• Does it make sense that one would set only one type of goal in a given

task? How would it affect one’s probability of success?• Think about goals that you set for yourself when you started college. List

some of them. Given the structured nature of performance evaluation on college campuses (i.e., the “GPA), do you think your academic goals have changed because of the way progress and performance is evaluated?? What does that imply about your academic motivation and factors that have impacted that motivation?

• How would this information about different temperament systems within people be helpful to teachers?

• If avoidant motivation seems to have so many limiting effects associated with it, why on earth would it still be a selected trait in the human population?

• Take a look again at the kinds of goals that avoidant temperaments set. Note the type that they don’t set. Look at that definition of that type of goal closely. It kind of sounds like a kind of motivation that you have all heard of before…you decide though—is it more like “intrinsic” or “extrinsic” motivation? So, if avoidant temperaments don’t set these types of goals, what does that imply about their ability to have that kind of motivation? Would they be inclined to have a hobby, according to Elliot and Thrash???

Case Study• Pete and Mike are players within a Division 1 football program• Pete is a team leader, openly aggressive and fiery. His

weaknesses are over-pursuit (he tends to “run past” receivers who have caught a pass) and personal fouls.

• Comment on his temperament and help him to create two goals that will address his weaknesses

• Mike is intense, but silent. He practices longer than every one who also plays at his position, knows the play book better than anyone, yet on the filed, he has never progressed beyond being third in the depth chart, because he hesitates in his commitment to a receiver and is not as aggressive as the other two players in front of him on the depth chart..

• Comment on his temperament and help him to create two goals that will address his weaknesses.