Cited by 7,176Motivation and Self-Concept in SportsEducation, Achievement, and GiftednessExperimental Behavioral Economics Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 187 of the 189 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 1 of the 138 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation.

Deci, Edward L., Koestner, Richard, Ryan, Richard M.·1999·Psychological Bulletin

Abstract

A meta-analysis of 128 studies examined the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. As predicted, engagement-contingent, completion-contingent, and performance-contingent rewards significantly undermined free-choice intrinsic motivation (d = -0.40, -0.36, and -0.28, respectively), as did all rewards, all tangible rewards, and all expected rewards. Engagement-contingent and completion-contingent rewards also significantly undermined self-reported interest (d = -0.15, and -0.17), as did all tangible rewards and all expected rewards. Positive feedback enhanced both free-choice behavior (d = 0.33) and self-reported interest (d = 0.31). Tangible rewards tended to be more detrimental for children than college students, and verbal rewards tended to be less enhancing for children than college students. The authors review 4 previous meta-analyses of this literature and detail how this study's methods, analyses, and results differed from the previous ones.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This meta-analysis of 128 experiments found that expected tangible rewards—especially engagement-, completion-, and performance-contingent rewards—significantly undermined free-choice intrinsic motivation, while positive feedback enhanced it. The authors argue the results strongly support cognitive evaluation theory and contradict the claim that the undermining effect is largely a myth.

Key findings

  • Engagement-contingent, completion-contingent, and performance-contingent rewards significantly undermined free-choice intrinsic motivation: *d* = −0.40, −0.36, and −0.28, respectively. All rewards, all tangible rewards, and all expected rewards also significantly undermined free-choice intrinsic motivation.
  • Engagement-contingent and completion-contingent rewards significantly undermined self-reported interest (*d* = −0.15 and −0.17), as did all tangible rewards and all expected rewards. Positive feedback enhanced both free-choice behavior (*d* = 0.33) and self-reported interest (*d* = 0.31).
  • Unexpected tangible rewards and task-noncontingent rewards did not significantly affect intrinsic motivation. Tangible rewards tended to be more detrimental for children than college students, and verbal rewards tended to be less enhancing for children than college students.
  • In supplemental analyses, tangible rewards undermined intrinsic motivation for interesting tasks (*d* = −0.68 for free-choice; *d* = −0.37 for self-report) but not for uninteresting tasks (*d* = 0.18 and 0.10, respectively).

Methods

  • Hierarchical meta-analysis of 128 studies drawn from 94 published articles and 19 dissertations; 101 studies included a free-choice behavioral measure and 84 included a self-report measure of interest/enjoyment.
  • Inclusion required experiments with at least one experimental and one control group, appropriate no-reward control groups, tasks at least neutral in initial interest, and intrinsic-motivation assessment after the reward contingency ended.
  • Effect sizes were Cohen’s *d*, computed with DSTAT; composite effects were weighted by the reciprocal of variance, homogeneity was tested with *Qw*, and moderator analyses examined reward type, contingency, age, feedback/control-group type, and other variables.

Limitations

  • The authors state that when too few studies existed for a moderator, they collapsed across important moderators, so reported effects are weaker than actual effects, particularly for the undermining of intrinsic motivation by tangible rewards.
  • The authors state that delayed assessments were virtually all with children, so there is no basis for generalizing the persistence of undermining to adults; they also note that only 2 multiple-session studies met inclusion criteria, with only 9 rewarded participants combined, providing no basis for conclusions.
  • The authors state that the conclusion about negative feedback plus rewards versus negative feedback alone remains tentative because few studies compared those conditions; the text also makes evident that self-report measures required imputed *d* = 0.00 in 26 of 121 cases (21%), compared with 8 of 150 free-choice cases (5%).

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1037/0033-2909.125.6.627

Cites

187 of 187 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

13 tests recomputed · 0 with the reported and recomputed p on opposite sides of .05

Verification

Claims the paper makes

124 Own result · 104 No full text of the sources · 54 Own interpretation · 38 Own method · 21 No basis given · 8 Sources not found · 4 Not checked yet · 1 Couldn’t confirm · accuracy not yet measured

Show all 161 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 108
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 8
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 129
193 of 193
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The tasks used in the included studies were interesting to participants.

    “for interesting activities”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Rewards would not be expected to undermine intrinsic motivation for an activity that is not intrinsically motivating.

    “Because rewards would not be expected to undermine intrinsic motivation for an activity that is not intrinsically motivating, most investigators predicted that initial interest would moderate the effects of rewards, with rewards undermining intrinsic motivation for interesting tasks but maintaining or enhancing intrinsic motivation for boring tasks.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Relatively little work has directly tested mediational effects of perceived locus of causality and perceived competence on people's intrinsic motivation for interesting activities.

    “Relatively little work has directly tested mediational effects of perceived locus of causality and perceived competence on people's intrinsic motivation for interesting activities.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Past evidence showing helplessness following receipt of uncontrollable positive outcomes is very scant.

    “past evidence showing helplessness following receipt of uncontrollable positive outcomes is very scant”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In the real world, when rewards are used to signify competence (i.e., when they are performance-contingent), there likely is a substantial portion of people who receive less than maximal rewards because they do not perform up to the specified standards.

    “in the real world, when rewards are used to signify competence (i.e., when they are performance-contingent), there likely is a substantial portion of people who receive less than maximal rewards because they do not perform up to the specified standards.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Intrinsic motivation energizes and sustains activities through the spontaneous satisfactions inherent in effective volitional action.

    “Intrinsic motivation energizes and sustains activities through the spontaneous satisfactions inherent in effective volitional action.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Intrinsic motivation is manifest in behaviors such as play, exploration, and challenge seeking that people often do for no external rewards.

    “It is manifest in behaviors such as play, exploration, and challenge seeking that people often do for no external rewards.”
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Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Statistics that don’t add up

Each reported p-value recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom.

1 of 1

Statistics recomputed

Every reported test result, recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom. A result shows as not adding up only once an independent check has confirmed it.

  • Doesn’t add upQ(1) = 5.14reported p < .02 · recomputed p = .023

    “Qb (1) = 5.14, p < .02”

  • ConsistentQ(83) = 205.17reported p < .0001 · recomputed p < .001

    “Qw (83) = 205.17, p < .0001”

  • ConsistentQ(1) = 90.19reported p < .0001 · recomputed p < .001

    “Qb (1) = 90.19, p < .0001”

  • ConsistentQ(1) = 43.87reported p < .0001 · recomputed p < .001

    “Qb (1) = 43.87, p < .0001”

  • ConsistentQ(3) = 8.84reported p < .05 · recomputed p = .031

    “Qb (3) = 8.84, p < .05”

  • ConsistentQ(6) = 5.91reported n.s. · recomputed p = .433

    “Qw (6) = 5.91, ns.”

  • ConsistentQ(17) = 24.39reported n.s. · recomputed p = .109

    “Qw(17) = 24.39, ns.”

  • ConsistentQ(9) = 8.59reported n.s. · recomputed p = .476

    “Qw(9) = 8.59, ns.”

  • ConsistentQ(29) = 46.99reported p < .05 · recomputed p = .019

    “Qw(29) = 46.99, p < .05”

  • ConsistentQ(28) = 36.04reported n.s. · recomputed p = .142

    “Qw(28) = 36.04, ns”

  • ConsistentQ(46) = 60.98reported n.s. · recomputed p = .069

    “Qw(46) = 60.98, ns.”

  • ConsistentQ(34) = 37.57reported n.s. · recomputed p = .309

    “Qw(34) = 37.57, ns”

  • ConsistentQ(29) = 44.97reported p < .05 · recomputed p = .030

    “Qw(29) = 44.97, p < .05”

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Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

3 of 3

Citations

Cites

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Cited by

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Metadata

Authors
Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M.
Affiliations
University of Rochester (US)
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Published
1999
Volume
125
Issue
6
Pages
627-668
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
OpenAlex
W2007851141
Cited by
7,176
References
189
Citations by year
2026: 349 · 2025: 329 · 2024: 314 · 2023: 421 · 2022: 315 · 2021: 351 · 2020: 528 · 2019: 429 · 2018: 372 · 2017: 368 · 2016: 436 · 2015: 402 · 2014: 379 · 2013: 355 · 2012: 331
FWCI
75.18
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH053385, MH-53385)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies
Keywords
extrinsic rewards, intrinsic motivation, performance-based rewards, tangible rewards, verbal rewards, expected reward, positive feedback
MeSH terms
Behavior Therapy, Choice Behavior, Conditioning, Operant, Humans, Internal-External Control, Motivation, Reward

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