Meng Liang, Pei Guanxiong, Zheng Jiehui, Ma Qingguo
School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China; Laboratory of Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China; School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Neuromanagement Lab, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Int J Psychophysiol. 2016 Dec;110:102-108. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.11.001. Epub 2016 Nov 3.
When immersed in intrinsically motivating activities, individuals actively seek optimal challenge, which generally brings the most satisfaction as they play hard and finally win. To better simulate real-life scenarios in the controlled laboratory setting, a two-player online StopWatch (SW) game was developed, whose format is similar to that of a badminton tournament. During the game, a male opponent played by a confederate ensured that the same-sex participant paired with him won both matches, one with a wide margin (the lack of challenge condition) and another with a narrow one (the optimal challenge condition). Electrophysiological data were recorded during the entire experiment. An enlarged Stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) was observed in the optimal challenge condition, indicating a more concentrated anticipatory attention toward the feedback and a stronger intrinsic motivation during close games. Thus, this study provided original neural evidence for predictions of Self-determination theory (SDT) and Flow theory, and confirmed and emphasized the significant role of optimal challenge in promoting one's intrinsic motivation to win.
当沉浸在具有内在激励作用的活动中时，个体积极寻求最佳挑战，当他们努力拼搏并最终获胜时，通常会带来最大的满足感。为了在可控的实验室环境中更好地模拟现实生活场景，开发了一款两人在线秒表（SW）游戏，其形式类似于羽毛球比赛。在游戏过程中，由一名同伙扮演的男性对手确保与他配对的同性参与者赢得两场比赛，一场比分差距大（缺乏挑战条件），另一场比分差距小（最佳挑战条件）。在整个实验过程中记录电生理数据。在最佳挑战条件下观察到刺激前负波（SPN）增大，表明在势均力敌的比赛中对反馈的预期注意力更集中，内在动机更强。因此，本研究为自我决定理论（SDT）和心流理论的预测提供了原始神经证据，并证实和强调了最佳挑战在促进个体内在获胜动机方面的重要作用。
