Cognitive Evaluation Theory

Abstract Cognitive evaluation theory (CET) explains how environmental events (rewards), social contexts (classroom climates), and intrapersonal events (self-set goals) influence the ups and downs of intrinsic motivation. The theory’s core insight is that the psychological meaning of these events can be informational, controlling, or amotivating, and it is the relative salience of these three aspects that explains the effect of each event on the recipient’s intrinsic motivation. This core insight provided the basic building blocks for the now large literatures on interpersonal motivating styles and the dual-process model. Overall, CET arose as self-determination theory’s first mini-theory to explain the controversy on the effect of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation, and it now provides the contemporary insights self-determination theory needs to continue its theoretical growth and applied relevance.