Competition and Extrinsic Rewards: Effect on Intrinsic Motivation and Attribution

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the effect of monetary rewards and success/failure on intrinsic motivation and causal attributions of males and females competing on a motor task. Multivariate analysis of variance produced a significant overall main effect for feedback, with subjects exhibiting more intrinsic motivation after success than after failure. The Sex × Feedback interaction (p < .09) indicated that males exhibited more intrinsic motivation than females after success, whereas females displayed more intrinsic motivation than males after failure. Attribution results showed that success was primarily attributed to high ability, high effort, and good luck while failure was attributed to low ability, low effort, and bad luck. Correlational analysis revealed that success was related to high ability, high effort, good luck, and high intrinsic motivation. Conversely, failure was associated with low ability, low effort, bad luck, and low intrinsic motivation. In addition, ability and effort were the causal attributes most related to changes in intrinsic motivation. The relationship between causal attributions and intrinsic motivation is discussed in terms of the self-enhancement hypothesis and Deci's cognitive evaluation theory. Implications for competitive physical activity are drawn.