PSYC FPX 3770 guide: psychology of human motivation and performance workload
This PSYC FPX 3770 guide covers Psychology of Human Motivation and Performance, a Capella BS Psychology course on why people start, persist in and give up on goals, at work, in school, in sport and in health. PSYC FPX 3770 asks for an essay on motivation theories, an analysis of a performance case and a paper designing an intervention. Motivation is often presented on posters as a matter of attitude; the course treats it as a science in which rival accounts, built on needs, on expectations and on goals, predict different things in the same situation. Students who make the theories disagree in their papers, and then check which prediction the research favors, score highest. Here are the three assessments, their workload and where students lose marks.
Short answer. PSYC FPX 3770 usually takes 25 to 35 hours. The intervention design paper takes the most time, because it asks you to build a plan from theory and research and to explain how you would know whether it improved motivation and performance.
PSYC FPX 3770 at a glance: theory, case, intervention
The course has three assessments. The motivation theory essay explains and compares theories, such as self-determination theory, expectancy-value theory, goal-setting theory and attribution theory. The performance case analysis applies them to a person or group whose performance has slipped, such as a student, employee or athlete. The intervention design paper proposes a plan to improve motivation, grounded in theory and research.
The essay supplies the theories, the case tests them and the intervention puts them to use.
Plan about a week for the essay, a week for the case and ten days for the intervention.
| Course | PSYC FPX 3770 Psychology of Human Motivation and Performance |
|---|---|
| Program | BS Psychology |
| Graded assessments | 3 |
| Assessment 1 | Motivation Theory Essay |
| Assessment 2 | Performance Case Analysis |
| Assessment 3 | Intervention Design Paper |
PSYC FPX 3770 Assessment 1: motivation theory essay
The theory essay explains and compares motivation theories. Self-determination theory, from Deci and Ryan, emphasizes the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness and distinguishes intrinsic from extrinsic motivation. Expectancy-value theory explains effort through beliefs about success and the value of the task. Goal-setting theory, from Locke and Latham, shows that specific, challenging goals usually raise performance.
Compare what each predicts. Would offering a reward increase effort or reduce interest?
Faculty reward essays that explain theories accurately, compare their predictions and cite research on where each holds up best.
PSYC FPX 3770 Assessment 2: performance case analysis
The case analysis applies theory to someone whose performance has dropped, such as a college student who stopped attending class, a sales employee who missed targets after a policy change or a runner who lost interest in training.
Identify factors that may explain the change, such as loss of autonomy, low confidence, unclear goals or a task that no longer feels meaningful.
Apply two or more theories and compare their explanations. Faculty value analyses that link specific details to specific concepts, consider several explanations and avoid blaming low motivation on laziness or character.
PSYC FPX 3770 Assessment 3: intervention design paper
The intervention paper proposes a plan to improve motivation and performance. Options include redesigning a job to increase autonomy, introducing goal setting with feedback for a sales team, using mastery experiences to rebuild an athlete's confidence or changing a classroom grading system.
Base each element on theory and research, and explain why it should work for this person or group.
Include a way to measure results, such as performance data, attendance or a validated motivation questionnaire. Faculty reward interventions that are specific, realistic and evaluated, rather than general advice to "stay positive."
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in PSYC FPX 3770
Intrinsic motivation means doing something because it is interesting or satisfying; extrinsic motivation means doing it for an outside reason, such as pay or grades.
Research on the undermining effect, summarized in a 1999 meta-analysis by Deci, Koestner and Ryan, found that expected, tangible rewards can reduce intrinsic motivation for tasks people already enjoy. Rewards for dull tasks, and rewards that give information about competence, work differently.
Self-determination theory also describes forms of extrinsic motivation that people come to value. Faculty value papers that explain these distinctions and avoid claiming that rewards always help or always hurt.
Goals and feedback in PSYC FPX 3770
Goal-setting research is among the most consistent in psychology. Specific, challenging goals usually lead to better performance than vague goals such as "do your best," especially when people are committed and receive feedback.
Limits apply. For complex tasks people are still learning, learning goals may work better than performance goals, and overly narrow goals can encourage shortcuts.
Use goal research in the case and intervention. Faculty value papers that set goals carefully, pair them with feedback and recognize when a different approach, such as building skills first, would work better.
Where PSYC FPX 3770 papers lose points
Common weaknesses include theory essays that describe theories without comparing their predictions, case analyses that rely on one explanation and intervention papers with no way to evaluate results.
Using motivational slogans instead of research costs marks. Popular advice about motivation often lacks evidence.
Misusing terms also loses points, such as treating motivation and self-esteem as the same thing. Check APA 7 throughout, and cite original theory papers along with recent research testing them in settings like the one in your case.
Sources for PSYC FPX 3770
Your course textbook explains the major theories and summarizes research on each one.
Original works, such as Deci and Ryan's papers on self-determination theory and Locke and Latham's work on goal setting, are worth reading. The Center for Self-Determination Theory's website lists research and measures.
For research, search PsycINFO for studies applying motivation theories in education, work, sport or health. Meta-analyses offer the strongest evidence. Reference everything in APA 7, and use research from the last decade alongside the foundational papers.
Pacing PSYC FPX 3770 on FlexPath or GuidedPath
FlexPath learners can give the theory essay and the case analysis a week each, then ten days to the intervention.
On GuidedPath, pick your case early, since the intervention builds on it and the weekly deadlines leave little slack.
Link your topics. If your case is an employee who lost motivation after losing control over scheduling, your intervention can draw on self-determination theory and job design research. Keeping one case through both papers saves reading and makes your argument more coherent.
Getting help with PSYC FPX 3770
Motivation papers connect theory to real behavior. A tutor who knows motivation research can help compare theories, analyze your case, design an intervention or find measures to evaluate it.
Write in your own words, using any explanation to sharpen your understanding. Your own experiences with motivation at school, work or in sport can supply examples, as long as conclusions rest on research.
Describe your case and the setting for the intervention, and include the rubric, so the support fits both papers.
Self-efficacy in PSYC FPX 3770
Self-efficacy, Albert Bandura's term, is confidence that you can carry out a particular task. People high in it try harder, stick with difficulties longer and usually perform better.
Bandura identified four sources: mastery experiences, or past successes; vicarious experiences, or watching similar others succeed; verbal persuasion; and physical and emotional states.
Use self-efficacy in the case and intervention, especially when performance dropped after a failure. Faculty value interventions that build self-efficacy through mastery experiences, such as breaking tasks into achievable steps, rather than encouragement alone.
PSYC FPX 3770 guide: questions answered
How long does PSYC FPX 3770 take?
Usually 25 to 35 hours, with the intervention design taking the most time.
Which theories should I compare?
Common pairings set Deci and Ryan's needs-based account against goal setting or against expectancy-value theory.
Do rewards reduce motivation?
Expected tangible rewards can undermine interest in enjoyable tasks, but effects depend on the task and reward.
What makes goals effective?
Specific, challenging goals with commitment and feedback.
What is self-efficacy?
Bandura's term for confidence that you can carry out a particular task.
How do I evaluate an intervention?
Use performance data, attendance or validated motivation questionnaires collected before and after.