Abstract
The choice behavior of 24 college-age subjects within a computer problem-solving task was investigated as they controlled and selected problem difficulty levels which either maximized intrinsic interest or extrinsic reward. While playing a computerized version of the game “Mastermind,” subjects selected and attempted problems from a variety of difficulty levels during 18 15-minute sessions. Within selected periods of extrinsic reward availability, subjects were shown to select problems which were most efficiently solved, thus maximizing extrinsic reward; however, repeated task exposure produced selections that increased the task's challenge levels and its subsequent intrinsic interest. Following the removal of the extrinsic rewards, subjects immediately returned to their pre-reward intervention levels of difficulty.
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Newby, T.J., Alter, P.A. Task motivation: Learner selection of intrinsic versus extrinsic orientations. ETR&D 37, 77–89 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02298292
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02298292