Recent evidence on the effect of task-extrinsic incentives on motivated activity is reviewed, first from a historical perspective and then from the standpoint of recent research on the topic. Three early studies are reviewed in detail to establish the paradigm case, and then additional studies are categorized by content. The purpose of this article is to outline the entire range of the effect under investigation. The evidence from these studies suggests that in certain contexts the effect of task-extrinsic incentives is to undermine performance of and subsequent interest in the rewarded activity. The research is discussed in terms of what it suggests about the contrast between self-initiated and otherinitiated learning.
To investigate the influence of gender label on adults' perceptions of aggression in children, a videotape of 2 preschool children playing roughly in the snow was shown to 175 college students (139 females, 36 males) who were asked to judge the degree of aggression displayed by 1 of the children (the target child). In the videotape, the children's snowsuits disguised their actual gender, and 4 experimental conditions were created by varying the gender label of both the target and the other (nonrated) child. Hence, the 4 conditions consisted of all possible combinations of gender; boy-boy, boy-girl, girl-boy, and girl-girl. All subjects viewed the same film; only the gender labels used to describe the children varied. Subjects' aggression ratings of the target child varied significantly as a function of the gender label attributed to both the target and the nonrated child. Specifically, the boy-boy condition was rated as significantly less aggressive than the other 3 conditions, which did not differ in level of perceived aggression. This effect was particularly strong among subjects with more experience with children. The results have interesting implications for understanding the process of social category perception.
Theory and research on the psychological construct of "fear of success" is reviewed in the context of Horner's original (1968) formulation of the motive. Both the validity and the reliability of the original measure are questioned in the light of the weakness of empirical support. T h e findings of subsequent research are organized in terms of what they contribute to a situational rather than a motivational interpretation of the data. Implications of these different views of the achievement behavior of females for changes in sex-role socialization are discussed. 63 64 JOHN CONDRY AND SHARON DYER 2. The motive is much more common in women than men. 3. It is probably not equally important for all women. FOS should be more strongly aroused in women who are highly motivated to achieve and/or who are highly able (e.g., who aspire to and/or are readily capable of achieving success). 4. It is more strongly aroused in competitive achievement situations than where competition is directed against an impersonal standard.
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