Eight Core Drives of Behaviour

The DNA of Learning

One of the most valuable principles I learned when I first got involved in training was to design for both motivation and cognition. I also learned about the powerful influence of emotion on learning and behaviour.

Addressing these elements is such an important aspect of training/instructional design that I created a simple graphic, which I call the DNA of Learning:

This graphic is a reminder that motivation and cognition are inextricably linked, and that emotion affects both of these 'drivers' of learning. Effective design always considers learner motivation and avoids the pitfall of being preoccupied with the cognitive dimension.

As part of my ongoing research into 'Training That Works', I have explored numerous motivational models with the aim of determining which are most helpful when designing and assessing learning experiences.

One of the models that I studied was developed by Yu-Kai Chou and is known as the Octalysis Framework. I found it comprehensive, thought-provoking and practical.

The Octalysis Framework

According to Yu-Kai Chou the eight core drives came from his research into what makes games fun. By comparing highly successful games with unsuccessful games he found that the difference wasn't the presence of game elements or the quality of the graphics. All the successful games had one thing in common: they harnessed the 'eight core drives'.

What is particularly significant about these drives is summed up by his statement:?

"Every single thing you do inside and outside of a game is based on one or more of these eight core drives, which means that if there's none of these eight core drives there, there's zero motivation. No behaviour happens." *??

* From Yu-Kai Chou's lecture: Introduction of the Octalysis (1-3)

Notice that he says "inside and outside of a game." In my opinion the framework is especially relevant to learning behaviour.?

The other key point is that all behaviour depends on these core drives. Unless at least one drive exerts its influence, there will be no motivation to take action.??

Brief Summary of the Drives

Each of the following explanations starts with a quote from Yu-Kai Chou (in italics).

1. Meaning and Calling: This is the drive that says we're motivated because we feel like we're part of something bigger than ourselves. People feel they are participating in something greater than themselves; they are striving for a higher purpose.
2. Development and Accomplishment: This is the drive that says we're motivated because we feel like we're achieving mastery. We're improving ourselves, we're learning new skill, we're progressing.?People are motivated to overcome challenges, to make progress and achieve a targeted goal.
3. Empowerment of Creativity and Feedback: We yearn to learn, imagine, invent, and partake in creative processes where the journey in of itself brings happiness. People need ways to express their creativity, see the results, receive feedback, and adapt accordingly.
4. Ownership and Possession: This is the drive that says because we feel like we own something, we want to improve it, we want to protect it and we want to get more of it. People who feel a sense of ownership innately care about what they 'own', want to make it better and own even more.
5. Social Influence and Relatedness: This is basically everything you do based on what other people do, think or say. People are influenced by others via social acceptance, perceived expectations, envy, nostalgia, maintaining relationships, not wanting to let others down, and sharing experiences.?
6. ?Scarcity and Impatience: This is the drive that says we want something simply because we can't have it or because it's difficult to obtain. People want something or want it sooner because it is rare, exclusive or immediately unattainable.
7. Unpredictability and Curiosity: This is the drive that says because we don't know what's going to happen next, we're constantly thinking about it. All humans have an innate sense of curiosity. If you don’t know the outcomes of a particular scenario or situation, your brain is naturally drawn to thinking about what will happen.
8. Loss and Avoidance: Things you do to avoid a loss. You don't want something bad to happen.?All humans are risk-averse and try to avoid or minimise negative things happening.

Although it was said in relation to gamification, one comment of Yu-kai Chou's that I found particularly important is:?

A good gamified system doesn’t need to have all of the Core Drives, but it does need to do really well with the ones it does implement.

For an overview of the eight core drives, with great examples, watch Yu-kai Chou's TEDx talk : Gamification to Improve Our World (16:59 minutes):

The beauty of the eight core drives is that they relate to most if not all of the theories of motivation that I have studied. If you are familiar with behavioural economics you will no doubt have noticed a connection.

A Matrix Model

While using the Octalysis Model it occurred to me that the octagon shape is not essential. I personally found it easier to make sense of the core drives and their interrelationships by creating a three by three matrix, as shown below.

The numbering of the core drives is the same as used in the Octalysis Framework.

The main benefit of this diagram is that it clearly shows that the core drives in each corner fall into two categories (explained below).

White Hat vs Black Hat

When the top three core drives are used together, it is referred to as White Hat Gamification. Use of these White Hat Core Drives creates positive feelings such as joy, achievement, satisfaction, and being in control - with no sense of urgency. Consequently, the drives build long-term engagement.

To quote You-kai Chou:?

"If something is engaging because it lets you express your creativity, makes you feel successful through skill mastery, and gives you a higher sense of meaning, it makes users feel very good and powerful."?

When the bottom three core drives are used together, it is referred to as Black Hat Gamification. These Black Hat Core Drives create 'darker feelings' that are associated with a sense of urgency, fear and lack of control. People feel compelled to take action quickly and may feel manipulated. They can become obsessed, even addicted.

You-kai Chou points out that a Black Hat approach isn't necessarily bad. They are just motivators and can be used to achieve productive results, although the participants may not feel particularly good in the process or at the end!

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivators

According to the Octalysis framework, the three core drives on the left-hand side are extrinsic motivators and the three core drives on the right-hand side are intrinsic motivators. As explained on You-kai Chou's website:

Extrinsic Motivation is results orientated. Things you do for a reward, a purpose, or a goal, but you don't necessarily enjoy the activity itself. It's basically doing something to get something else in return, or to avoid something unpleasant.

Intrinsic Motivation is experience orientated. There are things you just enjoy doing, to the point that you're even willing to pay money in order to experience them. It's basically doing something because the activity is its own reward.

The core drives on the left-hand side are referred to as Left Brain because they are associated with logic, analytical thought, and ownership. The core drives on the right-hand side are referred to as Right Brain because they are associated with creativity, self-expression, and social dynamics.

Yu-kai Chou clearly acknowledges that the left brain/right brain distinction is not supported by neuroscience. It is in fact regarded as a neuromyth . He states that the words are merely symbolic and are used to distinguish the logical from the emotional and to help people remember the core drives.

More Connections

Core Drives 4 and 5?

You will have noticed that Core Drive 4 and Core Drive 5 haven't been mentioned in relation to White Hat or Black Hat.??

These two drives can be White Hat when they are tied to Core Drives 1, 2 or 3 and Black Hat when tied to Core Drives 6, 7 or 8.

Core Drives 1 and 8?

Similarly, Core Drive 1 and Core Drive 8 haven't been mentioned in relation to Extrinsic (Left Brain) or Intrinsic (Right Brain) motivators.?

These two drives can be Extrinsic when tied to Core Drives 2, 4 or 6 and Intrinsic when tied to Core Drives 3, 5 or 7.

Sensation

Yu-kai Chou has mentioned that sensation (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing) is a hidden ninth core drive. I have placed it in the centre of the matrix.

The 3 x 3 matrix is a good reminder that there are nine core drives that influence motivation and behaviour.

To Learn More

There is a lot of information on the Internet about the Octalysis Framework and how it is used. Below are some resources that I'm sure you will find helpful:

OCTALYSIS GROUP

I suggest starting with Joris Beerda's article , Octalysis: The Gamification Framework Backed By Science. It relates the framework to other well-known theories/approaches.

GAMIFICATION EDUCATION

This website?provides a thorough overview of the Octalysis Framework. It includes a detailed explanation of the core drives, with examples of the drives applied in a school classroom. [Note: Core drives 2 and 3 are incorrectly labelled and I have notified the web site author.]

YU-KAI CHOU'S WEBSITE

There is a wealth of information on Yu-kai Chou's personal website .?A good article is: The Octalysis Framework for Gamification & Behavioral Design.?

A PODCAST INTERVIEW

The Learning Evolution Podcast: Yu-kai Chou - Using Core Drives and Octalysis Gamification to Motivate Behavior. Listen to this episode on YouTube.

YU-KAI CHOU'S BOOK

Yu-kai Chou wrote a successful book: Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards. A substantial preview of the book can be read at Google Books .?

Author

Throughout my L&D career I have continuously researched and experimented with ways to increase learning effectiveness. Along the way I have immersed myself in the 'science of learning' and the 'science of instruction'.

I know from experience that enterprise training can be very cost-effective if it is designed and implemented using research-based methods. I have personally been involved in designing and implementing training programs that consistently produced an ROI in excess of 100%.

Over the last 20+ years I have successfully delivered many professional development programs for learning specialists. I have also created and delivered programs to help managers get better results from employee development.

My programs are based on the Predictable Performance Design Methodology and implemented according to the Ready-Set-Go-Show Model . Thanks to the model, I won a Gold Award at LearnX in the category Best Learning Model: Custom/Bespoke. Check out my article: Ready-Set-Go-Show Wins Gold .

If you would like to chat about my research or how I can help you, please email me at [email protected] .