The Post-Experimental Intrinsic Motivation Inventory

Abstract

The Post-Experimental Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) is a widely utilized psychological scale designed to assess participants’ subjective experiences and feelings regarding a specific task or activity performed in a laboratory or experimental setting. This instrument is crucial for researchers operating within the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), specifically Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET), as it measures the degree to which an activity is experienced as intrinsically motivating and self-determined. The IMI is multidimensional, typically composed of up to 45 items categorized across seven distinct subscales, allowing for the fine-grained analysis of motivational processes following an intervention or task completion.

Keywords

intrinsic motivation, perceived competence, self-determination theory, psychological scale, task engagement, autonomy, relatedness, post-experimental assessment

Authors

Edward L. Deci, Richard M. Ryan, and associated research colleagues from the Self-Determination Theory research group.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the IMI is to evaluate the psychological mediators of intrinsic motivation and regulatory styles following an experimental manipulation. By assessing factors such as enjoyment, perceived skill, and feelings of choice, the IMI allows researchers to determine how various external factors (e.g., rewards, feedback, deadlines, controlling language) impact an individual’s internal motivation and engagement with a task. It is specifically designed for use immediately after the completion of an activity to capture acute motivational states.

The scale is constructed flexibly, allowing researchers to select only the relevant factors (subscales) pertinent to their theoretical questions. For instance, studies focusing solely on the impact of positive feedback might only use the Interest/Enjoyment and Perceived Competence subscales, while studies on group work might additionally incorporate the Relatedness subscale.

Construct

The IMI measures the psychological experience of motivation through seven empirically validated subscales, each representing a distinct aspect of the motivational process, largely derived from the tenets of CET and SDT:

• Interest/Enjoyment: The core measure of intrinsic motivation, reflecting the inherent pleasure and interest derived from the activity itself.
• Perceived Competence: The degree to which an individual feels capable and effective in completing the task.
• Effort/Importance: The amount of energy expended on the task and the subjective value placed on performing well.
• Pressure/Tension: The level of anxiety, constraint, or negative arousal experienced during the activity.
• Perceived Choice (Autonomy): The feeling of having freely chosen to engage in the activity, a critical component of autonomous motivation.
• Value/Usefulness: The internalized belief that the activity is important or beneficial for achieving personal goals, often considered a measure of identified regulation (a form of extrinsic motivation).
• Relatedness: The feeling of connection, closeness, and security experienced with others, especially relevant when the activity involves interaction or collaboration.

Validity

The IMI demonstrates strong construct validity, consistently supporting the theoretical distinctions between its subscales as predicted by SDT. Multiple studies have shown that the Interest/Enjoyment subscale correlates positively with behavioral outcomes indicative of intrinsic motivation, such as free-choice persistence (the amount of time spent on the activity when no external rewards are present). Conversely, the Pressure/Tension subscale typically correlates negatively with enjoyment and positive motivational outcomes.

Discriminant validity is supported by low inter-correlations between conceptually distinct factors, such as Interest/Enjoyment and Pressure/Tension. When the IMI is used to differentiate between autonomous (intrinsic) motivation and controlled (extrinsic) motivation, the scores align with expected behavioral patterns following experimental manipulation of factors like rewards or controlling language.

Reliability

The Intrinsic Motivation Inventory typically exhibits high internal consistency across its primary subscales. Cronbach’s alpha values for the Interest/Enjoyment and Perceived Competence subscales routinely exceed the acceptable threshold of .70, often falling in the range of .80 to .90 across various studies and populations. The Perceived Choice and Effort/Importance subscales also generally show good reliability. The reliability of the less frequently used subscales (Value/Usefulness, Relatedness) depends heavily on the specific context and the modifications made to the items to fit the study’s design.

Factor Analysis

Extensive factor analyses, including both exploratory and confirmatory methods, have been performed on various versions of the IMI. These analyses consistently support the multidimensional structure of the scale. The results confirm that the seven factors are empirically distinct, yet theoretically related, constructs. The factor structure validates the scale’s ability to measure different facets of motivation and subjective experience, rather than a single, global motivation score. Researchers often select and combine items from the core factors to create customized versions (e.g., 20-item or 30-item versions), but the underlying factor structure remains robust for the specified subsets of items.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire, designed for post-experimental assessment.

Format: The scale uses a 7-point Likert scale format, ranging from 1 (“not at all true”) to 7 (“very true”). Items marked with (R) are reverse-scored to mitigate acquiescence bias.

Language Available: Primarily English, though numerous translations (e.g., French, Spanish, German, Chinese) are available and validated in the psychological literature.

Population Group: General experimental participants, including students, employees, and specific clinical populations, depending on the research context.

Age Group: Typically utilized with adolescents and adults (12 years and older).

Population Details: Applicable to any population engaging in a defined task or activity where motivational outcomes are being measured.

Test Methodology: Administered immediately after the completion of the target activity. Subscale scores are calculated by averaging the scores of the constituent items (after reversing negative items). The resulting scores provide a measure of the psychological experience associated with the task.

Keywords

intrinsic regulation, extrinsic motivation, cognitive evaluation theory, self-report, psychological measurement, task engagement

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source; authors are associated with the SDT research group.)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source.)

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically directed through the official Self-Determination Theory website and affiliated university departments (e.g., University of Rochester).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) is generally provided free of charge for non-commercial academic research use. Researchers are encouraged to reference the originating works of Deci and Ryan when utilizing the instrument. The conceptual development of the IMI structure dates back primarily to the early 1980s, coinciding with the development of CET (e.g., Ryan, 1982).

Reference’s

• Ryan, R. M. (1982). Control and information in the intrapersonal sphere: An extension of cognitive evaluation theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43(5), 950–961.
• Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.
• McAuley, E., Duncan, T., & Tammen, V. V. (1989). Psychometric properties of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory in a competitive sport setting: A confirmatory factor analysis. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 60(1), 48–58.

Items of the THE POST-EXPERIMENTAL INTRINSIC MOTIVATION INVENTORY

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.