SURVEILLANT INTENTIONS AND INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

Alternative predictions about the influence of surveillance on intrinsic motivation were derived from cognitive evaluation and objective self-awareness theories. Adult Ss in Experiment 1 were assigned to surveillance conditions that implicated either controlling or noncontrolling surveillant intentions or to no-surveillance conditions. A behavioral measure revealed greater intrinsic motivation in the noncontrolling intention and no-surveillance conditions than in the controlling intention conditions (ps < .05). Experiment 2 examined why the lowest level of intrinsic motivation in Experiment 1 occurred when the surveillant did not specify a reason for watching Ss. Results indicated that such surveillance was interpreted as reflecting both surveillant distrust of Ss and the intention to evaluate Ss' performance. Evidence from the 2 studies supported cognitive evaluation theory rather than objective self-awareness theory.