Skip to main content
Log in

Thought contents and cognitive functioning in motivational versus volitional states of mind

  • Published:
Motivation and Emotion Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Do people who are about to make a decision differ from people who are about to enact a decision just made with respect to (1) the contents of their spontaneous stream of thought, and (2) aspects of cognitive functioning reflective of short-term memory? Subjects either made a choice between, or were assigned to, two available test materials allegedly designed to measure creativity and differentially suited to promote an individual's full creative potential. Subjects were, however, interrupted prior to or shortly after making this choice: In Study 1, they were asked to report on the thoughts they experienced during the time period just before the interruption; in Study 2, subjects were interrupted either before or after making a choice and were asked to recall lists of words designed to test memory span. The results of Study 1 confirmed our assumption that predecisional versus postdecisional streams of spontaneous thought reflectmotivational versusvolitional states of mind. That is, predecisional thought was preoccupied with incentive values of goal options, expectancy of performance outcomes, and metamotivational directives, whereas postdecisional thought was concerned with questions of how to implement the pursued goal. In Study 2, subjects in a motivational state of mind exhibited a greater memory span than subjects in a volitional state of mind. Since, in a further study, performance on arithmetic tasks did not improve for subjects in a motivational as opposed to a volitional state of mind, the results of Study 2 are understood as a state-dependent increase in receptivity with respect to incoming information. In interpreting the present findings, the characteristic features of motivational and volitional states are explicated. Furthermore, it is suggested that the dominating research tradition focusing on motivational problems (i.e., expectancy-value models) and the abandoned research tradition concerned with volitional problems (i.e., formation and implementation of an intent) should be integrated into a functional unit.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ach, N. (1905).Über die Willenstätigkeit und das Denken. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ach, N. (1910).Über den Willensakt und das Temperament. Leipzig: Quelle & Meyer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, J. W. (1957). Motivational determinants of risk-taking behavior.Psychological Review, 64 359–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, J. W. (1964).An introduction to motivation. Princeton, New Jersey: Van Nostrand.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, J. W., & Raynor, J. O. (Eds.). (1974).Motivation and achievement. Washington, D.C.: Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Düker, H. (1949). Über ein Verfahren zur Untersuchung der psychischen Leistungsfähigkeit.Psychologische Forschung, 23 10–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feather, N. T. (Ed.). (1982).Expectations and actions: Expectancy-value models in psychology. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heckhausen, H., Boteram, N., & Fisch, R. (1970). Attraktivitätsänderungen der Aufgabe nach Misserfolg: Kognitive Dissonanztheorie versus Leistungmotivationstheorie.Psychologische Forschung, 33 208–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heckhausen, H., & Kuhl, J. (1985). From wishes to action: The dead ends and short cuts on the long way to action. In M. Frese & J. Sabini (Eds.),Goal-directed behavior: Psychological theory and research on action. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karabenick, S. A., & Yousseff, Z. I. (1968). Performance as a function of achievement level and perceived difficulty.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 10 414–419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhl, J. (1983).Motivation, Konflikt und Handlungskontrolle. Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lane, D. M., & Pearson, D. A. (1982). The development of selective attention.Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 28 317–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Locke, E. A. (1968). Toward a theory of task motivation and incentives.Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 3 157–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nisbett, R. E., & Wilson, T. D. (1977). Telling more than we can know: Verbal reports on mental processes.Psychological Review, 84 231–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodworth, R. S., & Schlosberg, H. (1954).Experimental psychology. New York: Holt.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

We would like to acknowledge the assistance of Martina Eckert and Thomas Grözinger, who ably served as experimenters. Jürgen Beckmann, Ronald F. Kinney, and Franz E. Weinert made helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Heckhausen, H., Gollwitzer, P.M. Thought contents and cognitive functioning in motivational versus volitional states of mind. Motiv Emot 11, 101–120 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992338

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992338

Keywords

Navigation