Final answer:
Asking Sarah for restaurant advice builds her sense of competence because it acknowledges her expertise as a foodie, enhancing her intrinsic motivation.
Step-by-step explanation:
By asking Sarah for her recommendation on which restaurant to take your significant other, you're primarily building her feeling of competence. Competence is the feeling of being effective in one's activities and capable of producing desired outcomes. When you value Sarah's opinion as a 'foodie' and act on her expertise, you acknowledge her skills and knowledge, thus reinforcing her competence in the area of dining and restaurant selection.
Self-Determination Theory, which includes the needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, proposes that each of these is essential for psychological health and well-being. By seeking her advice, not only are you boosting her sense of competence, but you are potentially enhancing her intrinsic motivation by showing appreciation for her unique interests and abilities. This aligns with findings that intrinsic motivation can be maintained or even increased by external reinforcements such as verbal praise or acknowledgment of one's expertise (Arnold, 1976; Cameron & Pierce, 1994).