Evidence of a detrimental effect of extrinsic incentives on breaking a mental set

McGraw, Kenneth O.; McCullers, John C.

doi:10.1016/0022-1031(79)90039-8

Cited by 206 publications

(121 citation statements)

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“…Being concerned with the effects of reward expectancies on creativity, the majority of cognitively oriented studies, like studies of the effects of reward on intrinsic motivation, incorporate the promise of reward or a single pairing of performance with reward. Therefore, the results may represent the previously discussed temporary effects of a single reward presentation.A few studies by cognitively oriented investigators, however, did repeatedly reward performance and still obtained decrements in creativity and problem solving (e.g., McGraw & McCullers, 1979;Schwartz, 1982). One such investigator concluded that the use of reward to promote generalized creativity is not possible because "reinforcement seems ineffective at producing anything but stereotyped repetition of what works" (Schwartz, 1982, p. 57).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Detrimental effects of reward: Reality or myth?

Eisenberger¹,

Cameron²

1996

American Psychologist

719

544

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Based on seemingly overwhelming empirical evidence of the decremental effects of reward on intrinsic task interest and creativity, the use of reward to alter human behavior has been challenged in literature reviews, textbooks, and the popular media. An analysis of a quarter century of research on intrinsic task interest and creativity revealed, however, that (a) detrimental effects of reward occur under highly restricted, easily avoidable conditions," (b) mechanisms of instrumental and classical conditioning are basic for understanding incremental and decremental effects of reward on task motivation; and (c) positive effects of reward on generalized creativity are easily attainable using procedures derived from behavior theory.O bservers of American culture have long noted a I strong emphasis on individualistic values, including taking responsibility for one's own actions, pursuing personal interests, and exploring one's creative potential (e.g., Badia, 1990;Huber, 1971; Tocqueville, 1840Tocqueville, /1990. Consistent with the common presumption that individuals function most effectively and happily when they are guiding their own behavior (see Geller, 1982;Hogan, 1975), an increasingly dominant view has developed over the past quarter century contending that the strengthening of performance by reward (reinforcement) causes the unpleasant experience of being controlled by others and reduces task interest and creativity. Based on seemingly overwhelming empirical evidence of such effects, the value of using reward to alter human behavior has been challenged in literature reviews, textbooks, and the popular media. Conventional ViewThe following sentiments are characteristic of a diverse and growing literature claiming that reward inherently reduces task interest and creativity. According to an article published in the American Psychologist, "reinforcement has two effects. First, predictably, it gains control of [an] activity, increasing its frequency. Second .... when reinforcement is later withdrawn, people engage in the activity even less than they did before reinforcement was introduced" (Schwartz, 1990, p. 10). A widely cited literature review that appeared in the premier social psychology journal, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, concluded the following: Individuals who have been provided rewards "seem to work harder and produce more activity, but the activity is of a lower quality, contains more errors, and is more stereotyped and less creative than the work of comparable nonrewarded subjects working on the same problems" (Condry, 1977, pp. 471-472).The categorical assertion that rewards lessen task interest and creativity has profound practical implications. Increasingly, one hears and reads about how the use of reward systems in educational settings, hospitals, the workplace, and other institutions may do more harm than good. Articles and books written for laypeople and practitioners in education and business warn of the danger of behavior modification programs and incentive systems when...

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confidence: 99%

Detrimental effects of reward: Reality or myth?

Eisenberger¹,

Cameron²

1996

American Psychologist

719

544

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“…Such research reveals that situational events known to facilitate intrinsic motivation produce greater interest (Harackiewicz, 1979;Ryan, Mims, & Koestner, 1983), more creativity (Amabile, 1979(Amabile, , 1982(Amabile, , 1983Amabile, Hennessey, & Grossman, 1986;Koestner, Ryan, Bernieri, & Holt, 1984;Kruglanski, Friedman, & Zeevi, 1971), more cognitive flexibility (McGraw & McCullers, 1979), better conceptual leaming (Benware & Deci, 1984;Grolnick & Ryan, 1987), and a more positive emotional tone (Garbarino, 1975) than events known to be controlling. The correlates and consequences of the various forms of extrinsic motivation have been less documented but appear to be less positive both in terms of affect and performance as the Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Amotivational Styles 603 type of extrinsic motivation is less self-determined (see Deci & Ryan, 1985a, for a review).…”

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confidence: 99%

Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Amotivational Styles as Predictors of Behavior: A Prospective Study

Vallerand

Blssonnette

1992

Journal of Personality

836

517

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This research ascertained the role of intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivational styles as predictors of behavioral persistence in a real-life setting. At the beginning of the academic year, 1,042 first-tertn junior-college students enrolled in a compulsory college course completed a scale assessing intrinsic motivation, four styles of extrinsic motivation (namely, external regulation, introjection, identification, and integration), and amotivation toward academic activities. At the end of the semester, individuals who had dropped out of the course and those who had persisted were identified. Results showed that individuals who persisted in the course had reported at the beginning of the semester being more intrinsically motivated, more identified and integrated, and less amotivated toward academic activities than students who dropped out of the course. Gender differences also emerged. These revealed that females This article was prepared while the first author was supported by research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Quebec Council on Social Research, Quebec Funds for Research Aid and Researchers' Training, and the University of Quebec at Montreal. The second author was supported by a grant from the Fonds FCAR. We would like to thank Patrick Colavecchio for conducting some of the statistical analyses reported in this article. Reprint requests as well as correspondence related to the scale used in this study should be addressed to Robert J. Vallerand, Research Laboratory on Social Behavior, University of Quebec at Montreal, C. P. 8888, Station "A." Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3C 3P8. Vallerand and Bissonnette were more intrinsically motivated, integrated, and identified and less externally regulated and amotivated than male students. Females also displayed higher levels of behavioral persistence than males. Results are discussed in light of Deci and Ryan's (1985a) self-determination theory, and suggestions for future research are proposed. Journal of PersonalityThe concept of motivation has been studied from several perspectives (e.g., Freud, 1923Freud, /1962Hull, 1943;Skinner, 1953). One perspective which has proven useful over the past 20 years suggests that behavior can be seen as intrinsically or extrinsically motivated (e.g., de Charms, 1968;Deci, 1971Deci, , 1975. Intrinsically motivated behaviors are those that are engaged in for their own sake, in other words, for the pleasure and satisfaction derived from performing them (Deci, 1971). They are activities that people voluntarily perform in the absence of material rewards or constraints (see Deci & Ryan, 1985a. To read a book for the sheer pleasure of leaming something interesting is an example of intrinsic motivation.On the other hand, extrinsic motivation pertains to a wide variety of behaviors where the goals of action extend beyond those inherent in the activity itself. They are behaviors that are engaged in as a means to an end and not for their own sakes (Deci, 1975;Kruglanski, 1978). Originally, i...

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“…Researchers have shown that environments that offer people more autonomy improve wellbeing (Deci et al 1989), increase one's satisfaction with the job (Purasuraman and Alutto 1984), and diminish the levels of stress people experience (Purasuraman and Alutto 1984;Thompson and Prottas 2006). However, autonomy can be undercut by incentives and evaluations, which have been shown to reduce creative outcomes , finding solutions for problems that are complex in nature (McGraw and McCullers 1979), and processing of information deeply and conceptually .…”

Section: Project Failure Need For Autonomy and Negative Emotionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entrepreneurial Cognition

Shepherd

Patzelt²

2018

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Evidence of a detrimental effect of extrinsic incentives on breaking a mental set

Cited by 206 publications

References 5 publications

Detrimental effects of reward: Reality or myth?

Detrimental effects of reward: Reality or myth?

Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Amotivational Styles as Predictors of Behavior: A Prospective Study

Entrepreneurial Cognition

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