Effects of work task cues and play task cues on information processing, judgment, and motivation

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Understanding how external cues shape cognitive processes is crucial for optimizing performance.
• Task framing (work vs. play) can influence motivation and information processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of task cues on cognition, attitudes, and behavior.
• To explore how framing a task as 'work' versus 'play' affects information perception, judgment formation, and behavioral responses.

Main Methods:

• Laboratory study involving 82 master of business administration students.
• Linguistic analysis of responses to a puzzle task, with cues varied between 'work' and 'play' conditions.
• Path analysis to explicate links between task cues, cognitive processes, and performance outcomes.

Main Results:

• Task cues influenced information perception and judgment formation.
• Work-cued tasks led to a focus on performance quantity and streamlined responses.
• Play-cued tasks resulted in a focus on performance quality, elaborated responses, and increased intrinsic motivation.

Conclusions:

• Task cues indirectly affect performance by establishing cognitive orientations.
• 'Play' tasks foster a 'means' orientation, emphasizing process and exploration.
• 'Work' tasks promote an 'ends' orientation, focusing on goal achievement.