Passage 4             (1) The word “motivation” in English c…

Passage 4             (1) The word “motivation” in English comes to us from French and refers to a “willingness of action, especially in behavior.” Someone with a great desire to learn is said to be highly motivated. Motivation is very important in what one learns and how quickly one learns it. A motivated person will generally learn faster and more efficiently than an unmotivated one. To absorb information efficiently, a person must intend to learn. This is called intentional learning. In contrast, incidental learning – learning that is not intended but which results simply from exposure to material – sometimes does occur. The amount of incidental learning is not equal to intentional learning in real life situations.             (2) It is uncertain how much motivation aids learning, but it does contribute to the retention of information. If an individual expects to be rewarded for doing well, performance (perhaps on a test) may improve. It may also worsen if the fear and anxiety over not passing is too great. Human motivation in relation to learning is so complex that controlled experiments to analyze it are nearly impossible.