Relation of motivation to performance
All participants varied in the extent to which both their phase 2 and
test phase performance differed after the motivational interview manipulation/rest
period (% correct AFTER - % correct BEFORE), with an average
phase 2 difference score of +4.60% (SD = 9.49%) and an average
test phase difference score of +2.88% (SD = 13.75%). Most importantly,
individual differences in the motivation change ratings were significantly
correlated with changes in both learning phase 2 (r(40) = 0.471, p =
0.002) and test performance (r(40) = 0.574, p b 0.001) from BEFORE
to AFTER the manipulation/rest period (Fig. 3). Individuals who
expressed the greatest increases in motivation also evinced greater
gains in performance from the BEFORE to AFTER sessions. Thus, improved
learning performance AFTER the manipulation appears to depend
upon the extent to which motivation increased.