Intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors and Type A behavior pattern

In this study motivational factors were examined to determine if subjects were more intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. In addition, Type A behavior pattern was assessed to determine if a link exists between motivation and Type A behavior. A total of 176 students from a small midwestern university participated in this research. Intrinsic motivation was manipulated by using one of two movies, one interesting and one boring. Extrinsic motivation was measured by manipulating the number of extra credit points given for participation. Participants were assigned to one of four conditions: High intrinsic/low extrinsic, high intrinsic/high extrinsic, low intrinsic/low extrinsic, and low intrinsic/high extrinsic. Type A and Type B behavior were assessed using the results of the student version of Jenkins Activity Scale (JAS). Neither intrinsic nor extrinsic motivation were found to influence participants behavior. However, Type A individuals were more motivated to show-up for the movie than Type B individuals