Effects of Encouragement on Cognitive Performance of an Abstract Reasoning Task
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55712/1fjrde90Keywords:
Encouragement, Cognitive Performance, Social Support, Motivation, Employee PerformanceAbstract
Encouragement is a widely acknowledged motivational strategy with significant potential across various life domains. However, its specific impact within organisational contexts, particularly in culturally distinct settings such as the Maldives, remains relatively unexplored. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the varying effects of verbal and non-verbal encouragement on cognitive performance in the workplace. Drawing on Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and other foundational motivation theories, this research seeks to elucidate how different forms of encouragement interact with individual cognitive processes to enhance performance outcomes. Participants were recruited from a public limited company in the Maldives through convenient sampling, with all employees invited to register voluntarily. They were then randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: verbal encouragement, non-verbal encouragement, or no encouragement. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Raven’s Progressive Matrices test, a standardised tool for measuring non-verbal reasoning and abstract thinking, administered under controlled conditions with a uniform 10-minute time constraint. The study found that both verbal encouragement and non-verbal encouragement significantly improved performance when compared to no encouragement conditions in the reasoning task. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in performance scores between the verbal and non-verbal encouragement groups, although both outperformed the control group. Additionally, gender did not seem to influence performance scores. While the study’s theoretical contextualization could have been more explicit, its empirical findings offer valuable insights into the practical implications of encouragement in organisational settings. By highlighting the differing effects of verbal and non-verbal encouragement on cognitive performance, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of motivational dynamics in the workplace. Moreover, it underscores the potential for leveraging encouragement as a tool to enhance employee performance and well-being. The study also emphasises the need for further research to develop measurement tools for encouragement and raise awareness on its significance in organisational contexts.
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