SDT: A Contrarian take from Affective Neuroscience, or a 'radical' behaviorism
Although the metaphorical reality of need states and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is accepted in personality psychology and allied disciplines such as social psychology and economics, in learning theory, it is not. Indeed, modern neurologically grounded learning or incentive motivation theory has long abandoned concepts of need or drive, and unified theories of reinforcement of reward reject the bifurcation of motivation into intrinsic/extrinsic, operant/respondent, voluntary/involuntary processes in favor of single process models which can explain all behavior with readily testable predictions.
The position is epitomized by the research of the distinguished learning theorist and affective neuroscientist Kent Berridge of the University of Michigan, whose article on reward learning is linked below. Also linked below is my version of this article and its practical implications for a lay audience, reviewed and endorsed by Dr. Berridge in its preface. A precis of my argument is on pp. 57-63.
SDT: A Contrarian take from Affective Neuroscience, or a 'radical' behaviorism
Although the metaphorical reality of need states and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is accepted in personality psychology and allied disciplines such as social psychology and economics, in learning theory, it is not. Indeed, modern neurologically grounded learning or incentive motivation theory has long abandoned concepts of need or drive, and unified theories of reinforcement of reward reject the bifurcation of motivation into intrinsic/extrinsic, operant/respondent, voluntary/involuntary processes in favor of single process models which can explain all behavior with readily testable predictions.
The position is epitomized by the research of the distinguished learning theorist and affective neuroscientist Kent Berridge of the University of Michigan, whose article on reward learning is linked below. Also linked below is my version of this article and its practical implications for a lay audience, reviewed and endorsed by Dr. Berridge in its preface. A precis of my argument is on pp. 57-63.
‘A Mouse’s Tale’ Incentive motivation theory for a lay audience from the perspective of modern affective neuroscience https://www.scribd.com/document/495438436/A-Mouse-s-Tale-a-practical-explanation-and-handbook-of-motivation-from-the-perspective-of-a-humble-creature
Berridge article on history of learning theory https://www.scribd.com/document/447163649/Berridge-Reward-Learning-Incentives-and-Expectations
Berridge Lab, University of Michigan https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/berridge-lab/
Wow, Tania, this was awesome! Great job.