The Use of Concurrent Schedules to Evaluate the Effects of Extrinsic Rewards on "Intrinsic Motivation"
Abstract
Contingent rewards have been criticized on the grounds that they may decrease intrinsic motivation. Behaviorally, when extrinsic rewards are provided for an activity maintained by instrinsic task rewards, behavior may come under the control of the extrinsic rewards and control by the intrinsic rewards may be weakened. Further, it is claimed that the extrinsic rewards may decrease the reinforcing value of the intrinsic rewards so that performance decreases once the extrinsic rewards are terminated. In previous research, the effects of extrinsic rewards have been assessed by observing performance following reward termination. In the current study, concurrent schedules were used to determine the extent to which behavior was controlled by the extrinsic versus intrinsic rewards during reward administration. For the two subjects whose preferred activities were competency-based, control by intrinsic rewards was not decreased by extrinsic rewards. For the subject whose preferred activity was chance-based, performance came under the control of the extrinsic rewards. The extrinsic rewards did not weaken the reinforcing value of the intrinsic rewards for any of the subjects following reward termination.
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None of the 5 within-subject studies showed significant undermining.
“It is true that none of the 5 studies showed significant under- mining, but one can conclude very little.”
From A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. (1999) · cites this paper as Mawhinney et al., 1989
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“The approach claiming that extrinsic motivation can easily affect and displace the value of the internal (intrinsic) motivation is strongly supported by many studies interested in analyzing motivation factors (Siachou et al, 2021; Mawhinney et al, 1989; Davidson & Bucher, 1978).”
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“The first paper described the effect of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation (Mawhinney et al., 1989).”
- Authors
- Mawhinney, T. C., Dickinson, A. M., & Taylor, L. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Detroit Mercy (US)
- Western Michigan University (US)
- University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Organizational Behavior Management
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 1989-03-29
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 109-129
- ISSN
- 0160-8061 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-8604
- OpenAlex
- W2010401716
- Cited by
- 35
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 1.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Organizational Behavior Management (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Employee Performance and Motivation
- Keywords
- extrinsic rewards, intrinsic motivation, contingent reward, concurrent schedules, reinforcement value, behavioral control
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