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Don't throw motivation out with the black box: The value of a good theory revisited

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2025

Jutta Heckhausen Open the ORCID record for Jutta Heckhausen [Opens in a new window]  and
Falko Rheinberg Open the ORCID record for Falko Rheinberg [Opens in a new window]
Jutta Heckhausen*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA [email protected] https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/heckhausen/
Falko Rheinberg
Affiliation:
Department Psychologie, Universität Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany [email protected]
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Murayama and Jach claim that current motivational constructs do not specify causal processes (black-box problem) and that mental computational processes solve this problem. We argue, process-focused research requires theoretical frameworks addressing situational variations, individual differences, and their interaction. Classic achievement motivation theory provides comprehensive models with empirically measurable process-related constructs and predictions. Recent developments build on this, addressing motivation, action, and their socio-cultural and lifespan context. Theory-free mental computational processes cannot do any of that.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e35
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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