Two psychology articles

[scimommy]

One: To do well on an IQ test it's just as important to be internally motivated (even when external motivation is low - say, no one is paying you for correct answers) as to be intelligent. Moreover, this internal motivation is as good a predictor of later success in life (such as employment) as intelligence. Not exactly earth-shattering conclusions, but it's nice to see experimental verification of what one already suspects is true. Explains why I get more upset when I see my kids not caring about solving a math problem or giving up easily than when they take a loooong time to solve it.

Two: External disorder (e.g. a messy environment) creates an internal need for order which expresses itself as a desire to stereotype people. Not something I have thought about before, but intuitively seems right. Fascinating stuff. Now how do I use this information to motivate my kids to pick up their messes?

Comments

[mathdad.livejournal.com]

N1 rings true, but N2 not so much. I can believe that external disorder and the need for internal order are somehow related (although that requires further study). But the connection to the need to stereotype people seem dubious. However, I don't have access to the whole article, just the abstract, so I don't know what is that they did.

Certainly, if I walk into an unfamiliar neighborhood and see signs of disorder, it may make me more alert and uneasy and I may feel more inclined to be wary of the inhabitants. But that's not the same as the need for internal order. Again, I don't know what is in the article.

[scimom.livejournal.com]

I think their observation was that there was more stereotyping in a disordered environment. That this was due to a need for internal order is their interpretation of the data.

I'll print the paper out for you. :)