PSYCHOLOGY471A (Sept 17th, Official)
Human Motivation (3 credits)
September 2012
Instructor:
TA’s:
Time:
Prerequisite:
Richard Koestner Office: W8/30 Stewart Biology Bldg.
Marina Milyavskaya, W7/22; Nora Hope, W7/22, Simcha Samuel, W8/4
TJ 2:35-3:55
Psy215 Social Psychology is recommended but not required.
Content:
The course reviews social-personality psychological approaches to motivation with
particular focus on goal-based and need-based theories such as Baumeister’s (2011)
theory of self-regulation failure and Deci and Ryan’s (2012) self-determination theory.
The relevance of course material to applied issues in the domains of education, sports,
and health will be highlighted. Specific topics are listed below.
Communication with Professor Koestner and the teaching assistants will be possible via email.
Questions regarding lectures should be directed to Prof Koestner.
Questions regarding readings should be directed to the TA’s.
Office Hours and Email addresses:
Richard Koestner, Tuesdays 1-2PM in W8/30.Email: richard.koestner@mcgill.ca
Marina Milyavskaya, Wed 2-3PM in W7/22. Email: marina.milyavskaya@mail.mcgill.ca
Simcha Samuel, Wed 9:30 -10:30 in W8/4. Email: simcha.samuel@mail.mcgill.ca
Nora Hope, Fri 12:30-1:30 in W7/22. Email: nora.hope@mail.mcgill.ca
Readings
The three required books, by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney (WillPower), Daniel Coyle (The Talent
Code) and Edward Deci (Why We Do What We Do) will be available at the bookstore.
All required journal articles will be available in a folder on Mycourses.
Lecture slides will be posted on Mycourses before each lecture (if there are no technical problems).
Lectures will be recorded and made available on Mycourses by ICC (if there are no technical
problems).
Readings are best done in the order presented below. In parentheses I indicate how the readings
link with lecture material.
First 1/4 of the Course: How to succeed at personal goals.
1. Baumeister,& Tierney (2011) WillPower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. Read pages 1-186 and 213238. But skip Chapter 9 “Raising Strong Children” (p. 187-213). Concluding chapter is optional. (Weeks 1,2,3)
2. Gollwitzer, P. E. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54,
493-503. (Week 2)
3. Csikszentmihalyi, M. & Rathunde, K. (1993). The measurement of flow in everyday life. Nebraska Symposium on
Motivation, 1992: Developmental perspectives on motivation. (Week 3)
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Second 1/4 of the Course: Becoming an expert.
1.Ericcson, K.A. & Charness, N. (1994). Expert performance: its structure and acquisition. American Psychologist,
49, 725-747 (Week 4)
2. Coyle, D. (2009). The talent code (2009). Chapters 1-10. (Week 5)
3. Winner, E. (2000). The origins and ends of giftedness. American Psychologist, 55, 159-169. (Week 6)
4 Dweck, C. (2007). The secret to raising smart kids. Scientific American, Nov. 28, 2007. (Week 6)
MIDTERM EXAM WILL COVER ALL OF THE MATERIAL IN THE 1ST HALF OF THE
COURSE – GOAL SETTING AND BECOMING AN EXPERT.
Second half of the course: How to motivate others
1. Deci, E. & Flaste, R. (1995). Why we do what we do: The dynamics of personal autonomy. (Weeks 8-13)
2. Reeve, J. (2006). Teachers as facilitators: What autonomy-supportive teachers do and why their students
benefit. The Elementary School Journal, 106, 225-236. (Week 10)
3. Ryan, R.M. & Deci, E. (2008). A self determination theory perspective to psychotherapy: The
motivational basis for effective change. Canadian Psychologist, 49, 186-193. (Week 12)
Grading:
Midterm
Final Exam
(50%) Tuesday Oct 23rd 2:45 -3:45.
(50%) To be scheduled by the university during exam period.
There will be an automatic option to count the midterm for 40% and the final for 60% of the course grade.
Notes: Midterm and final exams will consist of multiple choice questions. The midterm questions will be
derived approximately equally from lectures and readings. The final exam will be cumulative with material
from the first half of the course accounting for approximately 35% of the exam. For the final exam, you do
not have to reread the books and articles that were covered before the midterm, only the lecture material will
be tested a second time.
Missed Midterm: Students must provide Professor Koestner with written, verifiable documentation for an
excused absence for the midterm exam. Conflicts with other exams must be documented. If a medical
concern causes you to miss the exam then you must provide documentation. You should print your name,
your id number, and the name of the doctor on top of the documentation. You should keep a copy of the note
for your own records.
The midterm make-up exam will be given during our regular class time on the Tuesday, October 30th (but in
a different classroom).
Failsafe option: There will be approximately 15 items on the final exam that are designed to test whether students
have a basic mastery of the course material. These items will be used with all the other items to yield a final score.
However, these items will also be used in a second way. For any student who receives a failing grade for the course, I
will review their answers on these 15 items to determine whether the student has displayed a basic mastery of the
course material. Thus, a student who has a failing grade based on their score on the midterm and final exams can still
earn a passing course grade if they answer the basic mastery items successfully. However, if the student also fails this
subset of questions then they will receive a failing grade.
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2 Optional Papers (4 double-spaced pages with 1 inch margins and print set at 12cpi). Papers written in
French are welcome and the page length will be extended to 5 pages.
Each optional paper will reduce the value of the midterm exam by 10% in the calculation of the course
grade. So if you write one optional paper then the midterm would count for only 40% of your course grade.
If you write both optional papers then your midterm would count for only 30% of your course grade. The
first optional paper is due October 11th. The second is due November 1st. Papers can be turned in late but 1/2
point (out of 10) will be deducted for each day late.
Optional Paper Topics
A. October 11th paper. Describe a self-control goal that you have pursued (or one that was pursued by
someone you know or have read about) and analyze it from the point of view of Roy Baumesiter’s
model of self control as outlined in his book WillPower.
B. November 1st paper. Conduct a case study of an outstanding performer in some field (e.g., music,
sports, science). Examine the extent to which the person’s expertise development followed a path
that is consistent with Coyne’s The Talent Code. You can include other material reviewed in the
second section of the course as well.
The optional papers are due October 11 and November 1st and can
be used to reduce the value of the midterm exam.
McGill Policy Statements
1. "McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the meaning
and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student
Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/ for more information).
2. “In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course have the
right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded.”
3. Use of Text-matching software: "Instructors who may adopt the use of text-matching software to
verify the originality of students' written course work must register for use of the software with
Educational Technologies (Email) and must inform their students before the drop/add deadline, in
writing, of the use of text-matching software in a course."
“In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s control, the
content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.”
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List of Lecture Topics from 2011 (Subject to modification this year)
1. Why do we fail at our new year resolutions?
2. Two keys to goal success: Self concordance and implementation plans.
3. Why is it so difficult to lose weight?
4. Why do we watch too much TV?
5. Do elite gymnasts display remarkable self-regulation?
6. Why do so many of us persist in unrequited love?
7. Is Tiger Woods success due to talent or practice?
8. How can we become more expert in our everyday life?
9. What role do parents play in developing their children’s talents?
10. Why did the Canadian team excel in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics?
11. Do our beliefs about our abilities matter?
12. Why have many of us lost our natural interest in reading for pleasure?
13. Does an emphasis on competition enhance motivation, or endanger it?
14. Why do Finnish children flourish in school?
15. The continuing controversy about rewards.
16. Does the value of making personal choices depend on whether you are Eastern or Western?
17. Religious belief and self-regulation: Is there a relationship?
18. Internalization of cultural values.
19. How do motivational factors affect the way patients respond to doctors?
20. How do motivational factors affect the way patients respond to psychotherapy?
21. Is there a motivational dark side to the values underlying the “American Dream?”
22. Is there such a thing as hyper-parenting and what is its source?
23. What factors lead to motivation at work?
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