Abstract
Two experiments examined task engagement, quantified as cardiovascular (CV) response, under conditions of high self-relevance of performance (i. e., when performance had strong implications for the individual's self-definition and self-esteem). Experiment 1 involved a 2 (self-relevance) × 2 (task difficulty) design and revealed, in accordance with predictions derived from Brehm's energization model, that self-relevance per se does not result in high engagement, but that high self-relevance bound up with high task difficulty does. Experiment 2 involved three difficulty conditions (very easy, moderate, very difficult) under highly self-relevant performance conditions and revealed a curvilinear difficulty/engagement relationship. In both studies CV responses were independent of feeling states.
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Gendolla, G.H.E. Self-Relevance of Performance, Task Difficulty, and Task Engagement Assessed as Cardiovascular Response. Motivation and Emotion 23, 45–66 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021331501833
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021331501833