Hecht Cameron A, Grande Matthew R, Harackiewicz Judith M
University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Motiv Sci. 2021 Mar;7(1):1-20. doi: 10.1037/mot0000182. Epub 2020 Apr 30.
An individual's initial interest in a topic may quickly fade, or it may become deeper and more enduring. One factor that may support an emerging interest is to discover utility value (or usefulness) in the topic. Instructional materials that emphasize the utility value of a topic can enhance learning and motivation, but whether these materials can foster interest development among individuals who show initial interest in a topic is uncertain. Across two studies, we tested utility-value manipulations under conditions in which we expected the manipulations to promote the development of interest. In Study 1, we manipulated whether participants received utility-value information during a learning session and found that such information triggered a state of interest for participants who had reported higher levels of interest at the outset of the session. In Study 2, we provided all participants with the same utility-value information provided to some students in Study 1, and then manipulated whether they wrote one of three kinds of essays about the utility value of the task (or a control topic). For participants with higher interest, we found that subsequent reflection on the usefulness of the material for the distant future in a writing activity (rather than the present or near future) further promoted interest development. In addition, engaging in any type of utility-value writing improved performance on a test of the material - overall, and specifically for less confident participants - replicating previous research. Findings suggest that, under the right conditions, emphasizing utility value can catalyze the interest-development process.
一个人对某个主题最初的兴趣可能很快消退，也可能变得更加浓厚和持久。一个可能支持新出现的兴趣的因素是在该主题中发现实用价值（或有用性）。强调主题实用价值的教学材料可以提高学习效果和动机，但这些材料是否能促进对某个主题已表现出初步兴趣的个体的兴趣发展尚不确定。在两项研究中，我们在预期这些操作能促进兴趣发展的条件下测试了实用价值操作。在研究1中，我们操纵了参与者在学习过程中是否收到实用价值信息，发现此类信息引发了那些在课程开始时报告兴趣水平较高的参与者的兴趣状态。在研究2中，我们向所有参与者提供了与研究1中部分学生相同的实用价值信息，然后操纵他们是否就任务（或一个对照主题）的实用价值写三种类型的文章之一。对于兴趣较高的参与者，我们发现，在写作活动中对材料在遥远未来（而非当下或不久的将来）的有用性进行后续思考进一步促进了兴趣发展。此外，进行任何类型的实用价值写作都能提高对材料测试的成绩——总体而言，特别是对信心较低的参与者——这重复了之前的研究。研究结果表明，在适当的条件下，强调实用价值可以催化兴趣发展过程。
