Stage 2 Psychology & Motivation – Comprehensive Class Notes

Stage 2 Psychology – Subject & Assessment Overview

  • General set-up
    • 5 teaching topics for the year, but only 2 are formally examined at the end of the year → Learning & Social Influence.
    • Remaining three topics taught for coursework:
    • Psychology of the Individual (Freud, Maslow, no neuroscience next year).
    • Organisational Psychology (business, workplace, leadership, etc.).
    • Psychology of Well-Being (stress, social-media impacts, sleep, etc.).
    • Topics and sequence are identical in every South-Australian school and rarely change year-to-year.
  • Major assessment components (percentages are SACE weightings)
    • 15%15\% Science as a Human Endeavour (SHE) investigation – current focus: Social Influence & social-media usage.
    • 15%15\% Deconstruction & Design (D\&D) practical/report – current focus: Sleep & sleep-deprivation effects.
    • 30%30\% External exam – only Learning + Social Influence content; also allowed to ask SHE or D\&D style questions.
    • 40%40\% in-class skills tasks & mini-assignments sprinkled through the five topics.
  • Unique “business scenario” test
    • Extended-response under exam conditions, but NOT part of the external exam.
    • Theme: organisational-psych problem-solving (e.g. analyse survey data, write recommendations as an I/O psychologist).
    • Scenario released one week earlier; students may annotate it & take an A5A5 double-sided note sheet into the room.
  • Trial exams
    • Whole-school mid-year trials (all Year-12s sit them); no other formal tests.
  • Workload & scaling
    • Teacher sees workload as comparable to other science subjects but easier revision (only two examinable topics).
    • Historical SACE data: scaling is neutral-to-positive; myths about negative scaling are unfounded (teacher’s advice).

Teacher Background & Class Admin Snippets

  • Teacher is a Biology major who completed a 6-month post-grad up-skill when Psych entered schools; now finishing final uni subject in Psychology.
  • Roll-call excerpts, bathroom breaks, students dropping the class, phone forms, etc. (contextual chatter but no examinable content).

Motivation – Core Concepts Introduced in Class

Working Definition
  • Motivation = internal processes that activate, guide, & maintain behaviour (pursue positives, avoid negatives).
  • Always multi-factorial → explained via Bio-Psycho-Social model:
    • Biological: genetics, physiology, sleep, hormones, neurochemistry.
    • Psychological: emotions, cognitions, learning history.
    • Social: culture, family, peers, broader environment.
Incentive Theory – Intrinsic vs Extrinsic
  • Intrinsic (internal)
    • Action performed for inherent enjoyment/satisfaction (e.g. training because you love the sport).
    • Linked to perseverance, mastery orientation, long-term success.
    • Professional/elite athletes typically report strong intrinsic drive; money & fame become “bonus” by-products.
  • Extrinsic (external)
    • Action performed to obtain reward or avoid punishment (marks, trophies, money, praise, social status, fear of penalty).
    • Can prompt quick engagement but risks shallow learning, last-minute cramming, lower long-term retention & wellbeing.
Tom & Mira Animated Case Study (video summary)
  • Tom → parents give zero external feedback → highly creative & self-directed but socially detached, struggles with norms.
  • Mira → parents give constant evaluative feedback & rewards → socially successful & high-achieving but loses sense of own interests, prone to pressure.
  • Research meta-analysis of 128128 studies:
    • Most tangible rewards ↓ intrinsic interest.
    • Positive feedback (verbal encouragement) = extrinsic yet enhances intrinsic motivation.
Classroom Discussion Examples
  • Favourite-subject study → intrinsic if driven by love of topic, extrinsic if driven by marks.
  • Watching a TV series “because it’s fun” = intrinsic; racing to finish just for social bragging rights = extrinsic.
Empirical Links to Achievement & Well-Being
  • Intrinsically motivated students:
    • Study beyond syllabus, attain higher grades and report higher life satisfaction.
  • Extrinsically motivated students:
    • Can still score well but often exhibit lower enjoyment & fragile motivation.
  • Over-reliance on rewards can decrease satisfaction if person feels loss of control.
Practical Ways to Boost Intrinsic Motivation (teacher list)
  • Frequent, specific praise & encouragement (positive reinforcement).
  • Use rewards valued by the individual but emphasise performance improvement, not outcome (process > winning).
  • Avoid punishment; frame errors as feedback.
  • Set realistic, jointly-decided goals (autonomy).
  • Keep practice/learning sessions organised, varied, fun, and challenging.
  • Build team spirit & schedule social events so members form genuine bonds.

Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

  • Motivation strongest & most durable when three innate needs are satisfied:
    1. Autonomy – feeling in control of one’s actions.
    2. Competence – feeling effective & capable.
    3. Relatedness – feeling connected to others & to the activity.
  • In sport or study, coaches/teachers maximise SDT by offering choices, optimal challenge, and supportive relationships.

Goal-Setting – SMART Framework (brief revision)

  • Specific – clear, unambiguous.
  • Measurable – progress quantifiable.
  • Achievable – realistic given resources.
  • Relevant – aligns with broader aims/values.
  • Time-bound – deadline or timeframe.

Michael Phelps Case Study – Elite Goal Setting & Mindset

  • Declared goal (2002): win 88 gold medals at Beijing 20082008; seen as impossible by many.
  • Strategy = 6-year programme of “trial & error” micro-goals at every Pan-Pac & World Championship to rehearse multi-event schedules.
  • Mental approach
    • Treat each day as a “deposit in the bank”; withdraw accumulated effort at major meets.
    • After each win/world record, immediately “throw the race in the back of my head” to refocus on the next event.
    • Consistent recovery routine: ice baths, massage, sleep, nutrition tightly managed so body remains fresh for the week.
    • Acknowledges days of low motivation – distinguishes the “greats” as those who work even when they don’t feel like it.
  • Coach–athlete dynamic
    • Frequent clashes with coach Bob Bowman, yet critical; coach forced Phelps’ mind to think differently & embrace challenge.
  • Inspiration mantra: Biggie Smalls’ lyric “The sky is the limit” → reinforced growth mindset & belief that sacrifice + dedication = any goal attainable.
  • Historical context
    • Phelps now holds Olympic record: 88 golds (Beijing, 2008) + 77 in 1972 held by Mark Spitz; Phelps also 6-gold feat in 2004.

Quick Reference – Percentages & Numbers in LaTeX

  • External exam weight: 30%30\%
  • SHE investigation: 15%15\%
  • D\&D practical: 15%15\%
  • Learning + Social Influence = 2/52/5 examinable topics (i.e.
    40%40\% of taught content but 100%100\% of exam content).
  • Michael Phelps goal tally: 88 gold medals (Beijing 2008).

Ethical & Philosophical Take-Aways Mentioned

  • Balancing intrinsic passion with extrinsic feedback yields both proficiency and personal fulfilment.
  • Excessive external control (rewards or parental pressure) may hamper autonomy and long-term happiness.
  • Genuine autonomy-supportive environments (in classrooms, workplaces, sports) are ethically preferable and empirically superior for sustained high performance.