The double-edged sword of rewards for participation in psychology experiments.
Abstract
This quasi-experimental study examined participation rates and sample characteristics of participants recruited with and without the offer of course credit. In Sample 1, where course credit is not usually offered, credit was added in one condition (N =195) and not in the other (N = 175). In Sample 2, where credit is usually offered, it was maintained in one condition (N = 92) and removed in the other (N = 178). Results in both samples revealed that participation rates were higher in the credit conditions; they plunged when customary rewards were taken away. Results also revealed evidence of sample bias. More specifically, the motivational characteristics of participants and nonparticipants differed in all conditions except the new credit condition.
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There have been indications that reward for participation in psychological studies may negatively influence participants and their motivation to engage with the task at hand.
“There have been indications that reward for participation in psychological studies may negatively influence participants and motivation to engage with the task at hand (Jovanovic & Matejevic, 2014;Sharp, Pelletier, & Levesque, 2006).”
From When ‘negativity’ becomes obstructive: a novel exploration of the two-factor model of the Self-Compassion Scale and a comparison of self-compassion and self-criticism interventions (2020) · cites this paper as Sharp, Pelletier, & Levesque, 2006
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- Authors
- Sharp, E. C., Pelletier, L. G., & Lévesque, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Ottawa (CA)
- ORCID
- Pelletier, Luc G.
- Venue
- Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement
- Published
- 2006
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 269-277
- ISSN
- 0008-400X (ISSN-L)
- 1879-2669
- OpenAlex
- W2149974687
- Cited by
- 56
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 1.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement (publishedVersion)
- BearWorks (Missouri State University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Ethics in Clinical Research
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Science Applications › Mobile Crowdsensing and Crowdsourcing
- Keywords
- monetary rewards, course credits, participation rates, sampling bias, participant motivation, participant recruitment
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