Attributions, Deadlines, and Children's Intrinsic Motivation

Abstract

Abstract This study assessed the effects of attribution statements and temporal deadlines on preschoolers' intrinsic interest in puzzles. During a training phase, 39 Ss completed puzzles under either the presence or absence of deadlines (instructions “to beat the timer”). They also heard E make either relevant attributions (“I'll bet you like puzzles”) or irrelevant attributions after they solved each puzzle. The two major findings of this study run counter to attribution theory expectations. First, given the presence of deadlines, relevant attributions resulted in less subsequent intrinsic interest as compared to irrelevant attributions. Second, in the presence of irrelevant attributions, deadlines resulted in greater task interest when compared with no deadlines. It appears that, like rewards, deadlines may enhance task interest if they serve to engender self-perceptions of competence. Alternatively, it is conceivable that deadlines can enhance interest by their endogeneity to a task, or by providing proximal goals.