Sum Up

In this project our goal is to map changes in motivation for learning and cognitive effort during the adolescent years. Adolescence is a life phase characterized by changes in motivated behavior and particularly in the Netherlands motivation for school is an urgent topic (OECD 2013).

In Sum Up we use an experimental psychology approach to understand how social context shapes motivation for cognitive effort (i.e., the willingness to think hard). Of particular interest is in what way elements of competition and prosociality shape adolescent’s motivation for cognitive effort.