According to expectancy theory, which combination best leads to high motivation?

According to expectancy theory, which combination best leads to high motivation?

• A. High expectancy and low valence
• B. High expectancy and high valence
• C. Low expectancy and high valence
• D. Low expectancy and low valence

Answer: (B)

Expectancy theory says motivation grows when you believe your effort will lead to good performance and you value the outcome that comes from that performance. The strongest motivation comes when both of these beliefs are high: you’re confident your effort will produce strong performance (high expectancy) and you highly value the resulting outcome (high valence). When both are high, the payoff for putting in effort is clear and worth it, so you’re most driven to act. If expectancy is high but valence is low, you might perform well but not care about the result, which lowers motivation. If valence is high but expectancy is low, you don’t trust that effort will pay off, also reducing motivation. If both are low, motivation is minimal.

Expectancy theory says motivation grows when you believe your effort will lead to good performance and you value the outcome that comes from that performance. The strongest motivation comes when both of these beliefs are high: you’re confident your effort will produce strong performance (high expectancy) and you highly value the resulting outcome (high valence). When both are high, the payoff for putting in effort is clear and worth it, so you’re most driven to act. If expectancy is high but valence is low, you might perform well but not care about the result, which lowers motivation. If valence is high but expectancy is low, you don’t trust that effort will pay off, also reducing motivation. If both are low, motivation is minimal.