Learning Motivation Simulator

Motivation Model

Intrinsic motivation 1.0

Extrinsic reward strength 1.0

Reward removed at 15 s

Self-efficacy feedback 0.4

Elapsed time

0.0 s

Intrinsic effort

–

Extrinsic effort

–

Reward status

Active

How it works

Two climbers race up parallel towers. Each tower's height gained per second is that side's current effort, so the marker's height traces cumulative learning over time — the same idea behind the oscilloscope trace floating behind them.

effort_i(t) = I · (0.55 + 0.45·tanh(F · progress_i))
effort_e(t) = E · (t < t_r ? 1 : 0.12 + 0.88·e^(−(t−t_r)/2.2))
progress += effort · dt · rate

Intrinsic motivation (I) — a stable baseline that comes from genuine interest, not from an outside reward.
Extrinsic reward strength (E) — how strongly a grade, prize or approval pushes effort up while it is still on offer.
Reward removed at — the moment the extrinsic incentive disappears; watch the orange trace fall off a cliff while the blue one barely notices.
Self-efficacy feedback (F) — belief in one's own progress feeding back into intrinsic effort; higher values let the blue climber's pace keep rising instead of plateauing flat.

Real-world relevance: this is the classic finding behind "overjustification" — extrinsic rewards can outperform intrinsic interest short-term, but effort collapses once the reward is withdrawn, while intrinsically driven effort sustains a stable plateau and can even compound through a growing sense of competence.

Intrinsic climber Extrinsic climber Reward (active)

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