Social and Personality Psychology Compass 8/7 (2014): 328–341, 10.1111/spc3.12110 How to Measure Motivation: A Guide for the Experimental Social Psychologist Maferima Touré-Tillery 1 * and Ayelet Fishbach 2 * 1 Northwestern University 2 University of Chicago Abstract This article examines cognitive, affective, and behavioral measures of motivation and reviews their use throughout the discipline of experimental social psychology. We distinguish between two dimensions of motivation (outcome-focused motivation and process-focused motivation). We discuss circumstances under which measures may help distinguish between different dimensions of motivation, as well as circumstances under which measures may capture different dimensions of motivation in similar ways. Furthermore, we examine situations in which various measures may capture fluctuations in non- motivational factors, such as learning or physiological depletion. This analysis seeks to advance research in experimental social psychology by highlighting the need for caution when selecting measures of motivation and when interpreting fluctuations captured by these measures. Motivation – the psychological force that enables action – has long been the object of scientific inquiry (Carver & Scheier, 1998; Festinger, 1957; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1974; Hull, 1932; Kruglanski, 1996; Lewin, 1935; Miller, Galanter, & Pribram, 1960; Mischel, Shoda, & Rodriguez, 1989; Zeigarnik, 1927). Because motivation is a psychological construct that cannot be observed or recorded directly, studying it raises an important question: how to measure motivation? Researchers measure motivation in terms of observable cognitive (e.g., recall, perception), affective (e.g., subjective experience), behavioral (e.g., performance), and physiological (e.g., brain activation) responses and using self-reports. Furthermore, motivation is measured in relative terms: compared to previous or subsequent levels of motivation or to motivation in a different goal state (e.g., salient versus non-salient goal). For example, following exposure to a health-goal prime (e.g., gym membership card), an individual might be more motivated to exercise now than she was 20 minutes ago (before exposure to the prime), or than another person who was not exposed to the same prime. An important aspect of determining how to measure motivation is understanding what type of motivation one is attempting to capture. Thus, in exploring the measures of motivation, the present article takes into account different dimensions of motivation. In particular, we highlight the distinction between the outcome-focused motivation to complete a goal (Brehm & Self, 1989; Locke & Latham, 1990; Powers, 1973) and the process-focused motivation to attend to elements related to the process of goal pursuit – with less emphasis on the outcome. Process-related elements may include using “proper” means during goal pursuit (means-focused motivation; Higgins, Idson, Freitas, Spiegel, & Molden, 2003; Touré-Tillery & Fishbach, 2012) and enjoying the experience of goal pursuit (intrinsic motivation; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Fishbach & Choi, 2012; Sansone & Harackiewicz, 1996; Shah & Kruglanski, 2000). In some cases, particular measures of motivation may help distinguish between these different dimensions of motivation, whereas other measures may not. For example, the measured speed at which a person works on a task can have several interpretations. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd