Motivation to work: cognitive theories

Psychology A2 · Organisational Psychology. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

Test this topic free All Psychology A2 topics

The idea

Cognitive theories say that motivation depends on how workers think about goals and rewards.

Goal-setting theory (Latham and Locke) says that specific, difficult goals lead to better performance than easy goals or being told to 'do your best'. A goal directs attention, increases effort and keeps the person going. Five principles make a goal work: clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback and task complexity.

Vroom's VIE theory says a worker decides how much effort to give by asking three questions. Will my effort lead to good performance? Will good performance bring a reward? Do I want that reward? The three answers are multiplied, so if any one of them is zero, motivation is zero.

Rules to remember

Five goal-setting principles: clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, task complexity.
SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound.
Expectancy (E): the belief that effort will lead to good performance.
Instrumentality (I): the belief that good performance will lead to the outcome or reward.
Valence (V): how much the person values that outcome.
motivation = expectancy × instrumentality × valence
Both theories treat workers as rational decision makers, which supports free-will but ignores emotion and habit.

Common mistake

Expectancy and instrumentality are often swapped. Expectancy links effort to performance; instrumentality links performance to reward. Also remember that the three are multiplied, not added.

Worked example

A machine operator is sure that extra effort will raise his output (E = 0.9) and that higher output brings a bonus (I = 0.8), but he hardly cares about the bonus (V = 0.1). Find his motivation score and say what the manager should change.

Multiply the three values: 0.9 × 0.8 = 0.72.
0.72 × 0.1 = 0.072, which is very low although two of the values are high.
The weak link is valence, so the manager should offer a reward he values, such as time off.

Answer: Motivation = 0.072; raise valence by changing the reward.

Ask about this

Type what you are stuck on. The helper finds the explanation, worked examples and the notes to read, free and instant.

Keep going

← Motivation to work: need theories Motivation to work: motivators at work →Take a Psychology A2 test