In this APA Publishing-PsychSessions paretner series, Garth Neufeld interviews Wendy Grolnick and Benjamin Heddy about their APA-published book (with Frank Worrel) Motivation Myth Busters. They discuss pervasive misconceptions such as believing some people simply aren't motivated, relying on rewards or pressure, and assuming people accurately know how good they are, emphasizing consequences like fundamental attribution error, resistance to coercion, and miscalibrated self-efficacy. They highlight research-based motivators tied to competence, autonomy, and relatedness; the importance of empathy, mastery-oriented environments, personal relevance, value (attainment/utility), and managing cost; and using structured choice rather than too much control or total freedom. They address students who coast, action creating motivation, structural inequities, and practical classroom uses including reflections, case studies, misconception assessments, and a motivation decision-tree tool.

Watch the webinar here.