Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 29, 2026

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans
Published on: March 19, 2014
Understanding Motivation in Early Childhood: Disentangling the Links Among Curiosity, Mindset, and Goals
Natalie Hutchins1, Jamie Jirout1
1School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
None:
Children's academic motivation declines with grade, beginning in early elementary school, so a better understanding of young children's motivation is needed. Measuring motivational constructs in children is a necessary start to this goal with a focus on children's curiosity, mindset, and achievement goal orientations-all shown to be consistently related to academic success across developmental periods. In 212 6-10-year olds, factor analyses showed separate factors for each of the expected constructs. Curiosity positively related to growth mindset instability-but not malleability-beliefs, and mastery goal orientations, and achievement goal orientations (performance, mastery) were positively associated, though they did not relate to growth mindset beliefs. Disentangling the observed associations that diverge from the prior literature can help to identify promising future directions for supporting children's motivation and learning.
Related Concept Videos
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Secondary Motives: Power Motivation and Achievement Motivation
Power motivation is characterized by the desire to influence, control, or have an impact on others. It is shaped by an individual's experiences, social environment, and cultural context. People with high power motivation are...
Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation
Growth versus Fixed Mindset
Motivational Bias
Motivational Cycle
The cycle begins with a need. This need can arise from various conditions, such as hunger, thirst, or temperature changes. For instance, when an individual feels cold, their body...

