Behavioral Neuroscience of Motivation


Book Description

This volume covers the current status of research in the neurobiology of motivated behaviors in humans and other animals in healthy condition. This includes consideration of the psychological processes that drive motivated behavior and the anatomical, electrophysiological and neurochemical mechanisms which drive these processes and regulate behavioural output. The volume also includes chapters on pathological disturbances in motivation including apathy, or motivational deficit as well as addictions, the pathological misdirection of motivated behavior. As with the chapters on healthy motivational processes, the chapters on disease provide a comprehensive up to date review of the neurobiological abnormalities that underlie motivation, as determined by studies of patient populations as well as animal models of disease. The book closes with a section on recent developments in treatments for motivational disorders.




Motivation: Theory and Research


Book Description

Designed for professionals and graduate students in the personality/social, military, and educational psychology, and assessment/evaluation communities, this volume explores the state of the art in motivational research for individuals and teams from multiple theoretical viewpoints as well as their effects in both schools and training environments. The great majority of education and training R&D is focused on the cognitive dimensions of learning, for instance, the acquisition and retention of knowledge and skills. Less attention has been given in the literature and in the design of education and training itself to motivational variables and their influence on performance. As such, this book is unique in the following montage of factors: * a focus on motivation of teams or groups as well as individuals; * an examination of the impact of motivation on performance (and, thus, also on cognition) rather than only on motivation itself; * research in training as well as educational settings. The data reported were collected in various venues including schools, laboratories and field settings. The chapter authors are the researchers that, in many cases, have defined the state of the art in motivation.




Handbook of Motivation at School


Book Description

The Handbook of Motivation at School presents the first comprehensive and integrated compilation of theory and research on children’s motivation at school. It covers the major theoretical perspectives in the field as well as their application to instruction, learning, and social adjustment at school. Key Features: Comprehensive – no other book provides such a comprehensive overview of theory and research on children’s motivation at school. Theoretical & Applied – the book provides a review of current motivation theories by the developers of those theories as well as attention to the application of motivation theory and research in classrooms and schools. Chapter Structure – chapters within each section follow a similar structure so that there is uniformity across chapters. Commentaries – each section ends with a commentary that provides clear directions for future research.




How People Learn II


Book Description

There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition was published and its influence has been wide and deep. The report summarized insights on the nature of learning in school-aged children; described principles for the design of effective learning environments; and provided examples of how that could be implemented in the classroom. Since then, researchers have continued to investigate the nature of learning and have generated new findings related to the neurological processes involved in learning, individual and cultural variability related to learning, and educational technologies. In addition to expanding scientific understanding of the mechanisms of learning and how the brain adapts throughout the lifespan, there have been important discoveries about influences on learning, particularly sociocultural factors and the structure of learning environments. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures provides a much-needed update incorporating insights gained from this research over the past decade. The book expands on the foundation laid out in the 2000 report and takes an in-depth look at the constellation of influences that affect individual learning. How People Learn II will become an indispensable resource to understand learning throughout the lifespan for educators of students and adults.




Motivation in Online Education


Book Description

This work explores and explicates learner motivation in online learning environments. More specifically, it uses a case-study approach to examine undergraduate students’ motivation within two formal and separate online learning contexts. In doing so, it recognizes the mutually constitutive relationship of the learner and the learning environment in relation to motivation. This is distinctive from other approaches that tend to focus on designing and creating motivating environments or, alternatively, concentrate on motivation as a stable learner characteristic. In particular, this book identifies a range of factors that can support or undermine learner motivation and discusses each in detail. By unraveling the complexity of learner motivation in such environments, it provides useful guidelines for teachers, instructional designers and academic advisors tasked with building and teaching within online educational contexts.




Academic Motivation of Adolescents


Book Description

Few academic issues are of greater concern to teachers, parents, and school administrators than the academic motivation of the adolescents in their care. There are good reasons for this concern. Students who are academically motivated perform better in school, value their schooling, are future-oriented in their academic pursuits, and possess the academic confidence and positive feelings of self-worth so necessary to increasing academic achievement. Because academically motivated students engage their schoolwork with confidence and interest, they are less likely to drop out of school, suffer fewer disciplinary problems, and prove resilient in the face of setbacks and obstacles. It is precisely because academic motivation is so essential to academic achievement that motivation has taken a place along with cognition as one of the most followed lines of inquiry in educational psychology. In this volume, we are fortunate to gather together some of the most eminent scholars who have written extensively about the academic motivation of adolescents. We are fortunate also in that they represent the varied theories and lines of inquiry that currently dominate research in this area. In all, we believe that in the dozen chapters that comprise this volume, the authors provide elegant insights regarding the academic and social motivation of adolescents that will prove of interest to researchers, students, teachers, school administrators, parents, policymakers, and all others who play a pivotal role or are otherwise invested in the lives of adolescents in today's society. It is our hope that these insights will not only further the conversation on adolescence and education, but will serve as the impetus for further research capable of generating the creative ideas, programs, and structures so necessary to better the lives of the young people in our care.




Motivation


Book Description

Motivation: Theory, Neurobiology and Applications is inspired by a question central to health care professionals, teachers, parents, and coaches alike, "How can an individual be motivated to perform a given activity or training?" It presents novel measurements of motivation developed in psychology and economics, recent insights into the neurobiology of motivation, and current research on applications designed to boost motivation in neurorehabilitation, education, and sports. In addition, tactics on how to connect these different research and knowledge fields within a common (theoretical) framework of motivation is discussed. Thus, in short, the book provides an integrative, interdisciplinary, up-to-date accounting on the neurobiology of motivation and how it might be boosted. - Provides an integration of the neurosciences, their clinical challenges, and applicable research - Includes both an interdisciplinary and integrative nature - Contains a broad array of subject matter that will be of interest to a large target audience - Presents contributions from experts in their respective fields




Motivation, Volition, and Engagement in Online Distance Learning


Book Description

Motivation is an important factor in and for all education levels. However, as learners in online distance education milieus are away from both teachers, other learners, and the learning environments physically, this concept becomes more important for online education. Motivating learners in distance education and keeping their motivation alive throughout the learning process is an issue that should be emphasized and taken care of for teachers and instructional designers. At this point, although there are many approaches, models, and theories regarding enhancing and sustaining motivation and engagement in the education processes, it is seen that there is not enough work and/or effective and efficient strategies that can be applied in online distance learning environments. Motivation, Volition, and Engagement in Online Distance Learning evaluates motivational obstacles in online distance education both theoretically and practically, identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the online education environments regarding motivation, and provides actionable motivational and volitional strategies for online educators. This book offers coverage of topics such as learning theories, motivation research, and synchronous online learning environments, making it a valuable resource for researchers, professionals, decision makers, institutions in all education levels, academicians, pre-service teachers, and most importantly, online educators from various disciplines and learners from all educational landscapes.




Studies in Linguistic Motivation


Book Description

How much of language is motivated? Recently, cognitive and functional linguists have proposed new solutions to this intriguing question. The thirteen articles collected in this volume cover various aspects of motivation in grammar and in the lexicon. The phenomena discussed in the contributions can be grouped into four types of motivation, which, along with other types, are explicated in the introductory chapter: ecological motivation, i.e. motivation of a linguistic unit due to its place, or "ecological niche," within a system; genetic motivation, i.e. motivation of present-day linguistic behavior or structure due to historical factors; experiential motivation, i.e. motivation that is based on embodied experience; and cognitive motivation, i.e. motivation that is based on human knowledge and cognitive operations such as metonymy and metaphor. The languages studied in some detail include Afrikaans, Croatian, Dutch, English, French, German, Hausa, and Hungarian. This volume makes a strong case for the pervasiveness of motivation in natural language. It will be of interest to teachers, researchers and students of linguistics, especially of functional and cognitive linguistics.




Motivation for Learning and Performance


Book Description

Designed for educators, researchers, practitioners, or anyone interested in maximizing human potential, Motivation for Learning and Performance outlines 50 key motivation principles based on the latest scientific evidence from the disciplines of psychology, education, business, athletics, and neurology. Using a highly applied and conversational style, the book is designed to inform the reader about how to diagnosis, analyze, and mediate learning and performance challenges influenced by motivation. The book features chapters on the biopsychology of motivation, how motivation changes across the lifespan, and the important influence of culture on motivated behavior. Three chapters are devoted to practical strategies and the implementation of motivational change. Special sections are included on enhancing motivation at work, in the classroom, in competitive environments, and during online education. Hoffman employs the innovative approach of using his interviews with "real" people including many notable personalities across diverse cultures and disciplines to illustrate motivated behavior. For example, readers will learn what motivated the colossal investment fraud masterminded by Bernie Madoff, the intimate thoughts of former NFL superstar Nick Lowery when he missed a field goal, and the joys and tribulations of Emmy-nominated "Curb your Enthusiasm" actress Cheryl Hines. The book provides a practical, applied, and multi-disciplinary resource for anyone interested in motivation and performance, but especially for university students at the graduate or undergraduate level studying education, psychology, business, leadership, hospitality, sports management, or military science. Additionally, the writing style and eclectic nature of the text will appeal to readers of non-fiction who can use the book to gain self-awareness to enhance performance of themselves or others. - Considers motivation for both learning and performance - Identifies 50 foundational principles relating to motivation - Provides research evidence supporting the foundational principles - Includes interviews from famous individuals, identifying what motivated them and why - Includes research from psychology, education, neuroscience, business, and sports