Abstract
We may be motivated to engage in a certain motor activity because it is instrumental to obtaining reward (e.g., money) or because we enjoy the activity, making it intrinsically rewarding. Enjoyment is related to intrinsic motivation which is considered to be a durable form of motivation. Therefore, many rehabilitation programs aim to increase task enjoyment by adding game elements (“gamification”). Here we ask how the influence of game elements on motivation develops over time and additionally explore whether enjoyment influences motor performance. We describe two different studies that varied game elements in different exercises. Experiment 1 compared the durability of enjoyment for a gamified and a conventional balance exercise in elderly. Experiment 2 addressed the question whether adding game elements to a gait adaptability exercise enhances the durability of enjoyment and additionally tested whether the game elements influenced movement vigor and accuracy (motor performance). The results show that the game elements enhanced enjoyment. Enjoyment faded over time, but this decrease tended to be less pronounced in gamified exercises. There was no evidence that the game elements affected movement vigor or accuracy.
Highlights
Fred and Frank climb the Mount Everest
In other words: Fred is motivated by an extrinsic reward that is separable from the activity of hiking whereas Frank is motivated by an intrinsic reward that is inherent to the activity of hiking (Deci and Cascio, 1972)
Task enjoyment is associated with intrinsic motivation (Ryan and Deci, 2017) which is considered a durable form of motivation that doesn’t decrease much over time (Vansteenkiste et al, 2006)
Summary
Fred and Frank climb the Mount Everest. Fred is motivated for the hike because he will receive sponsor money when he reaches the top. Frank is motivated because he enjoys the activity of hiking. In other words: Fred is motivated by an extrinsic reward that is separable from the activity of hiking whereas Frank is motivated by an intrinsic reward that is inherent to the activity of hiking (Deci and Cascio, 1972). Task enjoyment is associated with intrinsic motivation (Ryan and Deci, 2017) which is considered a durable form of motivation that doesn’t decrease much over time (Vansteenkiste et al, 2006). Enjoyment is an intrinsic form of reward and research in the field of motor learning has shown that rewards can enhance motor performance (Cheng et al, 2013; Reppert et al, 2015; Shadmehr et al, 2016; Summerside et al, 2018). Would Frank’s enjoyment be durable and influence how he performs the hike? In this paper, we investigate
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