Most early research on motivation was rooted in the study of behavioral learning theory, specifi cally
the theory of operant conditioning. According to operant conditioning, an individual who receives
reinforcement, a positive consequence for a behavior, would be likely to perform the behavior again
under similar circumstances (Skinner, 1953). Reinforcement, in other words, can motivate behavior.
Early researchers called this extrinsic motivation, meaning it is “external” to the behavior, and de-
fi ned this type of motivation as engaging in an activity to obtain an outcome that is distinct from the
activity itself (deCharms, 1968; Lepper & Greene, 1978).