Hodgins Wins $230K NSF Grant to Study Human Motivation

Holley Hodgins, associate professor of psychology at Skidmore, has received a three-year, $230,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study human motivation.

Hodgins's research project, titled "The Relation of Motivation to Self-Aspects, Openness and Performance," will examine how individual autonomy affects a person's openness — the willingness to embrace or to participate in — ongoing events. Hodgins believes that people who are "autonomously open" to an event will perform better at a task and demonstrate genuine self-esteem upon completing the task.

A social psychologist who specializes in the study of motivation and emotion, Hodgins based her hypothesis on the "Self-Determination Theory" originated in 1970 by Ed Deci and Rich Ryan. The pair outlined a theory of three types of human motivation: autonomous, control-oriented, and impersonal, and described the different outcomes that can result from the different motivations. People who are "autonomously motivated" exhibit a stronger sense of well being and greater creativity; those experiencing "control motivation" see events as pressures or cues that influence their behaviors and feelings; while "impersonal motivation" leads people to view desired outcomes as unattainable.

Hodgins first used the Self-Determination Theory in a study of interpersonal relationships and discovered that people who are more autonomous were more open about themselves and willing to disclose information in interactions. "It's a qualitative difference, and not just a matter of stronger or better performance," she explained. She thinks that the results of the study will have implications for academic, athletic, and employment performance.

In a preliminary test of her hypothesis, Hodgins analyzed Skidmore's crew team, a group of experienced rowers. The team was split into two groups and given cues ("primed") for either autonomy or non-autonomy through the use of a simple word test. After the test, the rowers were asked to perform on an ergometer. Subjects primed for autonomy showed decreased defensiveness and stronger performances - with some actually beating their personal best times, an unusual outcome for experienced athletes, said Hodgins. They engaged in less self-handicapping by offering fewer excuses about their expected outcomes. According to Hodgins, the results showed that people who are in autonomy-supportive contexts - with parents, teachers, or coaches providing support - would be less defensive and perform better.

Said Hodgins, "At every stage of life a sense of autonomy promotes well-being. The whole idea of experience versus avoiding experience is central to how we live. This topic is about long-term development. Autonomy allows us to explore the current moment as it is without defenses, which is exciting to me."

For the NSF-funded project, Hodgins will use five indicators. Test subjects' verbal and non-verbal responses, self-reported emotions, self-esteem, performance at the task, and physiologic responses (such as blood pressure) will be measured to assess their openness to, or defensiveness against, various tasks.

One study will involve the use of an interview to gauge interpersonal defensiveness. She hopes to demonstrate that test subjects with autonomous motivation do not feel threatened, but rather feel challenged by the opportunity. To test emotional responses, Hodgins plans to show that people who have been primed for autonomy will talk more openly and honestly about their feelings, instead of avoiding such a discussion.

"The essence of being human is in how we meet experiences or avoid them," said Hodgins. "Even very hard experiences must be met and dealt with. People must be able to find a way to do that. Avoidance or denial are not good strategies for coping. They may work for short-term adaptation, but not for the long term," she added.

The NSF grant will allow Hodgins to do collaborative research with two Skidmore students each summer for the next three summers. In addition, she hopes to work in Skidmore's Expanding Horizons Partnership Program with the Schuylerville Central School District by serving as a resource person to high school students involved in hands-on science research. Hodgins also will share results of her research with parent and teacher groups in Schuylerville.

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