Motivation as a function of success frequency

Abstract

It is well-established that intermediate challenge is optimally motivating. We tested whether this can be quantified into an inverted-U relationship between motivation and success frequency. Participants played a game in which they navigated a scene to catch targets. In Experiment 1 (N = 101), play duration was free and the motivating value of success frequency was measured from the probability that a player would continue at that frequency. In Experiment 2 (N = 70), play duration was fixed, and motivation was measured using repeated self-reports. In Experiment 1, the probability to continue increased linearly with the success frequency whereas play duration did show the inverted-U relationship with success frequency. In Experiment 2, self-reported motivation showed the inverted-U relationship with success frequency. Together, this shows that motivation depends on success frequency. In addition, we provide tentative evidence that the concept of intermediate challenge being most motivating can be quantified into an inverted-U relationship between motivation and success frequency.

Keywords: Flow; Intrinsic motivation; Motivation; Reward; Success.

Fig. 1

Methods. (Top panels) Instructions. (Bottom panel) Screenshot of online game with the virus, antidote avatar, and, buildings around which the player had to navigate

Fig. 2

Success and failures Experiment 1. The pattern of successes (green) and failures (red) experienced by the 96 participants in the study (Color figure online)

Fig. 3

Motivation and success frequency Experiment 1. A The probability to continue (pContinue) as a function of success frequency, with linear and quadratic fit. B Play duration as a function of success frequency, with linear and quadratic fit. C pContinue as a function of streak length. Dot size represents the number of trials the data point was based on

Fig. 4

Successes and failures Experiment 2. The pattern of successes (green) and failures (red) experienced by the 66 participants in the study (Color figure online)

Fig. 5

A Motivation and success frequency Experiment 2. A Mean QMI score within ten success frequency bins. Dot size indicates the number of trials in the bin and the error bar denotes the SE. B Mean QMI score with SE as a function of block number. C and D QMI score as a function of success frequency with the different blocks colour coded. C Data and linear fit. D Data and quadratic fit