Experimental induction of adaptive motivation: proof of concept

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of an experimental procedure for inducing adaptive motivation, including its differential efficacy for light/moderate and heavy drinkers. Method Participants were university-student drinkers (N = 79, males = 26.1%, mean age = 19.86 years) who were randomly assigned to a control or an experimental group. The experimental group underwent an experimental induction involving Concept Identification Cards for enhancing adaptive motivation, whereas the control group received an inert induction. At baseline, all participants completed a demographics questionnaire and the Alcohol Use Questionnaire. To evaluate the effectiveness of the induction, at both baseline and post-induction, participants completed the General Self-Efficacy Scale and the Task-Specific Personal Concern Inventory (TSPCI). Results At baseline, there were no differences between the two groups on Self-Efficacy or Task-Specific Adaptive Motivation. At the posttest, participants in the experimental group correctly answered more of the Concept Identification Cards than the control group (p < .001). At the posttest, only the experimental group showed improvements in self-efficacy (p < .025) and task-specific adaptive motivation (p < .025). Conclusions This study demonstrates that adaptive motivational structure can be experimentally induced, and the induction is as effective with Heavy Drinkers as with Light/Moderate Drinkers. Suggestions for future research using the induction of adaptive motivation with heavy drinkers is discussed.