Control of level of challenge and its effect on task persistence: a study of Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow

dc.contributor.authorKidd, Karen Daniseen
dc.contributor.departmentFamily and Child Developmenten
dc.date.accessioned2015-06-23T19:08:28Zen
dc.date.available2015-06-23T19:08:28Zen
dc.date.issued1985en
dc.description.abstractCsikszentmihalyi’s (1975) concept of flow was examined in a sample of 81 four-year-olds. Intrinsic motivation to continue playing, measured by the number of attempts to toss a bean bag through a target, was observed in both a choice and an assigned condition, order counterbalanced. In the assigned condition, subjects were randomly assigned to an easy or hard level of challenge, whereas in the choice condition, subjects could control the level of difficulty of the game by varying their distance from the target. Children in the choice condition made significantly (p < .05) more attempts than did children in the assigned-hard condition, and subjects in the assigned-easy condition made significantly (p < .05) more attempts than those in the hard condition, but there was no difference between the choice and easy conditions. No effect was found due to order in which conditions were received. Significant school differences were found in the choice condition only. Findings were interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that choice of level of difficulty has a significant positive effect on intrinsic motivation to continue an activity.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.extentix, 47 leavesen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/53078en
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.publisherVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
dc.relation.isformatofOCLC# 12998570en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subject.lccLD5655.V855 1985.K534en
dc.subject.lcshPersistenceen
dc.subject.lcshPlay -- Psychological aspectsen
dc.subject.lcshMotivation (Psychology)en
dc.titleControl of level of challenge and its effect on task persistence: a study of Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flowen
dc.typeThesisen
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
thesis.degree.disciplineFamily and Child Developmenten
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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