Motivation

What is motivation? It is the desire to do things.  What gets you up in the morning? What gets you to work? When I work with children with disabilities, they are often not very motivated to work. I must find something to motivate them to learn.

What motivates you? I love this TEDtalk by Dan Pink:

There is extrinsic vs intrinsic motivators, or external vs internal motivators. 

People who have even the most rudimentary cognitive skills necessary for their jobs are more motivated by:

1.autonomy

2. mastery

3. purpose

People who need only mechanical skills are motivated by:

1. bonuses

2. carrots and sticks

3. extrinsic rewards/motivators

What motivates

If giving an incentive for a behavior that isn't motivating, it will not incentivize.

If…then or carrots and sticks, external/extrinsic motivators are best for children and the cognitively impaired. For internally motivated, cognitively high functioning, look for autonomy, purpose and mastery as motivational rewards.

Managerial styles that use carrots and sticks will often find the employees unhappy at work, missing work, a high turn over rate, late work, missing work.

Using carrots and sticks for high functioning  will not be rewarding and will feel more like punishment.

Reinforcers

re·in·force

1.

to strengthen with some added piece, support, or material.

What motivates a person?  A reinforcer is something added to support a behavior you want to continue, or motivates them to behave in a desired way.  You can also reinforce a maladaptive behavior by adding support or attention to it.  There are two types of reinforcers, primary and secondary.

*Primary- a primary reward is one that doesn't have to be taught is desirable or motivating.  This is food/drink; you don’t have to teach that food and drink are motivating.

*Secondary- a secondary reward is one that does have to be taught is desirable or motivating.  A sticker has no innate value in and of itself.  Why would someone work for a sticker unless value is instilled in it? Earning a preferred activity or free time, positive affirmations or praise, giving a high five, are all learned reinforcers. 

*Satiation – When a reinforcer is offered to the point that the child has received enough to be full or satiated, they will no longer be motivated by the reinforcer. It is important, then, to only offer the reinforcer on a limited basis and/or in small amounts.

*Moving from primary to secondary – To move from primary to secondary reinforcers, pair the two together.  Do this by offering praise each time a primary reward is given.  Vary the reinforcer of primary and secondary.  If building in value of a sticker or activity, pair that with the primary reinforcer on a 1:1 basis and then a variable schedule. Fade the primary.