Ace the AP Psychology Test 2025 – Unlock Your Mind’s Potential!

Extrinsic motivation is defined by engaging in behaviors to obtain external rewards or to avoid undesirable consequences. This means that when individuals are driven by extrinsic motivation, their actions are primarily influenced by outcomes that exist outside of the behavior itself. For example, a student may study hard to earn a good grade (the reward) or complete a task to avoid punishment, such as failing a course.

The reason this choice accurately represents extrinsic motivation is that it specifically refers to those behaviors motivated by external factors, such as promised rewards (like money, praise, or grades) or the threat of negative outcomes (like penalties or disapproval). This contrasts with intrinsic motivation, where the drive comes from within an individual, such as personal satisfaction or a genuine interest in the activity itself.

The other choices represent intrinsic motivations or unrelated processes. A desire for personal satisfaction and achievement focuses on internal fulfillment, while the process of returning to an unaroused state after sexual excitement relates more to physiological and sexual response rather than motivation in a behavioral context. Understanding these distinctions helps to clarify the nature of extrinsic motivation and its driving factors.