The effects of rewards on intrinsic motivation of exercisers and nonexercisers

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of rewards on the intrinsic motivation of exercisers (E) and nonexercisers (NE). Furthermore, this study investigated the effects of fitness testing on the intrinsic motivation of E and NE. 73 female volunteers completed 2 fitness tests and the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). The IMI is an instrument that divides intrinsic motivation into 4 subscales; interest-enjoyment (IE), perceived competence (PC), effort-importance (EI), and pressure-tension (PT). The subjects were classified as E and NE and subsequently randomly divided into reward and no reward groups. A 2 (E, NE) X 2 (reward, no reward) ANOVA revealed that there was no significant difference between the reward and no reward groups on any subscale (F = -53; p 1 .05). However, there was a significant difference between the E and NE on 3 (IE, PC, and PT) of the 4 subscales (F = 23.72; p I .001). No interaction effect was revealed for the E and reward groups. These data point to the fact the E and NE are intrinsically motivated differently. Because perceived competence can effect intrinsic motivation, education and familiarity may be important factors when using fitness tests to motivate NE .