According to expectancy theory, a high level of motivation requires:

According to expectancy theory, a high level of motivation requires:

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

Answer: (A)

Motivation, in expectancy theory, comes from three judgments: expectancy (effort leads to performance), instrumentality (performance leads to reward), and valence (the reward is valuable). The strongest motivation occurs when you firmly believe your effort will produce a high level of performance (high expectancy) and you highly value the reward tied to that performance (high valence). When both are strong, the perceived payoff of putting in effort is large, so you’re most motivated. If expectancy is low, you won’t believe effort will pay off, reducing motivation even if the reward is valuable. If valence is low, even a likely good performance won’t feel worthwhile, also reducing motivation. So the combination of high expectancy and high valence best drives a high level of motivation.

Motivation, in expectancy theory, comes from three judgments: expectancy (effort leads to performance), instrumentality (performance leads to reward), and valence (the reward is valuable). The strongest motivation occurs when you firmly believe your effort will produce a high level of performance (high expectancy) and you highly value the reward tied to that performance (high valence). When both are strong, the perceived payoff of putting in effort is large, so you’re most motivated. If expectancy is low, you won’t believe effort will pay off, reducing motivation even if the reward is valuable. If valence is low, even a likely good performance won’t feel worthwhile, also reducing motivation. So the combination of high expectancy and high valence best drives a high level of motivation.