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Response to the critiques (and encouragements) on our critique of motivation constructs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2025

Kou Murayama Open the ORCID record for Kou Murayama [Opens in a new window]  and
Hayley Jach Open the ORCID record for Hayley Jach [Opens in a new window]
Kou Murayama*
Affiliation:
Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany k.murayama@uni-tuebingen.de hayley.jach@unimelb.edu.au https://motivationsciencelab.com/ Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan
Hayley Jach
Affiliation:
Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany k.murayama@uni-tuebingen.de hayley.jach@unimelb.edu.au https://motivationsciencelab.com/ Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

The target article argued that motivation constructs are treated as black boxes and called for work that specifies the mental computational processes underlying motivated behavior. In response to critical commentaries, we clarify our philosophical standpoint, elaborate on the meaning of mental computational processes and why past work was not sufficient, and discuss the opportunities to expand the scope of the framework.

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Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e50
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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