November 2007

Study: Perspective influences motivation

How a person visualizes his or her performance affects success, according to research published in the October issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. The study investigated whether perspective influences motivation in performing successfully.

The three studies explored in the article “Seeing Future Success: Does Imagery Perspective Influence Achievement Motivation?” looked at two ways to visualize future performances — in the first person (watching oneself through one’s own eyes) and in the third person (watching oneself from the perspective of another person).

The authors, Noelia A. Vasquez and Roger Buehler, found the third-person perspective resulted in greater motivation to succeed at a task, especially when people imagined themselves performing well.

“Mental imagery is commonly used as a preparation strategy in a wide range of performance domains (school, sports, performing arts, public speaking, licensure exams — as well less ‘institutionalized’ future performances, such as bringing up a difficult issue with a boss, or resisting temptations, such as food or cigarettes),” commented the authors. “These studies suggest that if someone needs a motivational boost to prepare, they may be well advised to envision themselves from the perspective of their audience.”

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