Implications of self-deception for self-reported intrinsic and extrinsic motivational dispositions and actual learning performance: A higher order structural model

The authors explored implications of individuals' self-deception (a trait) for their self-reported intrinsic and extrinsic motivational dispositions and their actual learning performance. In doing so, a higher order structural model was developed and tested in which intrinsic and extrinsic motivational dispositions were underlying factors that were each manifested in four distinct propensities that were measured. The authors also tested whether controlling for self-deception influenced predictive relationships. Analyses of data from 429 college students supported the validity of the higher order model and indicated that self-deception was positively related to intrinsic and negatively related to extrinsic motivational dispositions. Self-deception was negatively related, whereas intrinsic and extrinsic motivational dispositions were positively related, to learning performance. Removing the influences of self-deception altered some of the predictive relationships.