Quiz — Chapter 22: Goals, Intrinsic Motivation, and Achievement

25 questions. Multiple choice unless otherwise noted. Answer key at the end.

1. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) identifies three universal psychological needs. Which of the following correctly names all three?

a) Achievement, autonomy, and recognition b) Autonomy, competence, and relatedness c) Mastery, purpose, and autonomy d) Relatedness, status, and growth

2. In SDT's motivation continuum, "identified regulation" is best characterized as:

a) Behavior motivated by fear of external punishment b) Behavior motivated by internal pressure (shame or ego-maintenance) c) Behavior that is genuinely valued and aligned with personal goals d) Behavior that is fully integrated into the person's self-concept

3. The "overjustification effect" refers to:

a) The tendency to over-justify failure rather than taking responsibility b) The reduction in intrinsic motivation following the introduction of external reward for an intrinsically interesting activity c) The phenomenon of attributing goal failure to external rather than internal factors d) The tendency to pursue too many goals simultaneously

4. Deci, Koestner, and Ryan's 1999 meta-analysis of over 100 studies found that intrinsic motivation was most undermined by which type of reward?

a) Unexpected verbal praise communicating competence b) Informational feedback about performance quality c) Tangible, expected, contingent rewards d) Social recognition from peers

5. According to Locke and Latham's goal-setting theory, which type of goal produces the highest performance?

a) Challenging but vague goals ("be your best") b) Easy, achievable goals that guarantee success c) Specific, difficult goals with high commitment d) Goals set collaboratively with a team

6. Peter Gollwitzer's research on implementation intentions found that:

a) Setting goals in SMART format doubles completion rates b) Specifying when, where, and how a goal behavior will occur approximately doubles goal completion rates c) Daily affirmation of goals increases completion by 50% d) Social accountability is the primary driver of goal completion

7. WOOP stands for:

a) Want, Outcome, Opportunity, Plan b) Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan c) Will, Object, Overcome, Practice d) Work, Optimize, Operate, Persist

8. Gabriele Oettingen's research on mental contrasting found that, compared to pure positive visualization:

a) Mental contrasting reduces motivation by focusing on obstacles b) Mental contrasting produces significantly better goal pursuit by maintaining motivational tension c) Mental contrasting is only effective when obstacles are external rather than internal d) Mental contrasting has no significant effect on goal completion rates

9. Carol Dweck's distinction between learning goals and performance goals predicts that learning goal orientation is associated with:

a) Higher performance in competitive contexts but lower in cooperative ones b) Lower intrinsic motivation but higher extrinsic motivation c) Better learning outcomes, more resilience after challenge, and greater intrinsic motivation d) Better performance outcomes but higher performance anxiety

10. The "autonomy support" management style, as studied in SDT research, is characterized by:

a) Allowing employees complete freedom in their work without guidance b) Explaining rationale, acknowledging employees' perspectives, and providing meaningful choice within constraints c) Using reward structures to reinforce desired behaviors d) Setting challenging goals with clear performance standards

11. The hedonic treadmill refers to:

a) The increasing difficulty of each successive achievement b) The psychological process of adapting quickly to improved circumstances, returning to baseline wellbeing c) The tendency to pursue increasingly external goals as intrinsic motivation declines d) The cycle of goal pursuit, achievement, and dissatisfaction that characterizes achievement-driven personalities

12. Tim Kasser and Ryan's research on intrinsic vs. extrinsic goal orientation found that:

a) Achieving extrinsic goals produces wellbeing equivalent to achieving intrinsic goals b) Extrinsic goal orientation is associated with higher achievement but lower relationship quality c) People who prioritize extrinsic goals show lower wellbeing regardless of whether they achieve those goals d) Intrinsic goal orientation is primarily associated with wellbeing in non-work domains

13. David McClelland's "need for achievement" (nAch) describes individuals who:

a) Prefer very easy tasks to ensure success or very difficult tasks to excuse failure b) Are strongly motivated by social approval and recognition c) Prefer moderately challenging tasks, take responsibility for outcomes, and seek performance feedback d) Show the highest performance when external incentives are provided

14. "Introjected regulation" in SDT describes:

a) Behavior motivated by the work's inherent interest b) Compliance to external reward/punishment c) Behavior aligned with personally valued goals d) Behavior driven by internal pressure — shame, ego-threat, or guilt

15. The research on autonomy-supportive vs. controlling management consistently finds that autonomy support is associated with:

a) Higher compliance but lower creativity b) Higher intrinsic motivation, engagement, creativity, and wellbeing c) Better short-term performance but lower long-term retention d) Better outcomes for high-autonomy employees but not for those who prefer structure

16. Which of the following is NOT an element of the SMART goal framework?

a) Specific b) Motivating c) Achievable d) Time-bound

17. Implementation intentions work primarily by:

a) Increasing the perceived importance of the goal b) Linking goal behavior to a specific situational cue, reducing deliberation required at the moment of action c) Creating social accountability through public commitment d) Providing a framework for tracking progress toward the goal

18. The three psychological needs in SDT are described as "universal" because:

a) They are present in all human cultures, though their expression varies b) Research has failed to identify any cultures or individuals in which their satisfaction is not associated with wellbeing c) They are shared with other primate species d) They apply equally to all life stages from infancy through late adulthood

19. Brickman and Campbell's (1978) research on hedonic adaptation found that:

a) Lottery winners showed lower wellbeing than paraplegic individuals after adjustment b) People with severe physical disability showed significantly lower long-term wellbeing c) Major positive life events produce lasting increases in wellbeing d) Adaptation to positive events occurs significantly more slowly than adaptation to negative events

20. "Fear of failure" motivation, compared to "hope for success" motivation, is associated with:

a) Higher performance due to the avoidance motivation b) Lower performance anxiety and greater resilience after setback c) Higher performance anxiety, more sensitivity to evaluative feedback, and less pleasure in success d) Similar performance and wellbeing outcomes in high-stakes contexts

21. The overjustification effect is LEAST likely to occur when external reward is:

a) Expected before the task begins b) Contingent on performance c) Tangible (money or prizes) d) Unexpected and communicates competence rather than control

22. In Deci's foundational 1971 Soma puzzle experiment, the free-choice period was designed to measure:

a) Performance quality after reward and no-reward conditions b) Intrinsic motivation — how long participants engaged with the puzzle when no reward was possible c) Whether external reward had improved task mastery d) Social comparison effects on motivation

23. Which of the following best describes how SDT and goal-setting theory relate to each other?

a) They are competing theories with contradictory findings b) Goal-setting theory addresses motivation quality; SDT addresses goal structure c) SDT addresses motivation quality (why pursue the goal); goal-setting theory addresses goal structure (how to frame the goal) d) SDT applies primarily to work contexts; goal-setting theory applies primarily to personal goals

24. The "identified regulation" regulatory style is practically important because:

a) It is the only non-intrinsic regulatory style associated with good outcomes b) It shows that performance and wellbeing benefits comparable to intrinsic motivation are available for genuinely valued goals that are not inherently interesting c) It indicates that external rewards can be effective when they are sufficiently large d) It represents the initial stage before intrinsic motivation develops

25. Oettingen's research found that "pure positive fantasy" about a desired outcome:

a) Is as effective as mental contrasting for goal pursuit b) Increases motivation by building positive expectation c) Actually reduces effort by producing some of the satisfaction of achievement in advance d) Is effective primarily for short-term goals but not long-term ones

Answer Key