Rewards and curiosity
Overjustification effect
Adding contingent rewards to something people already enjoy can make them stop doing it once rewards end.
ContestedReplications or meta-analyses disagree. Do not assume the effect.
Example
Children who liked drawing and were promised a reward for it later spent less free time drawing.
Why it works
When a reward looks like the reason for acting, the sense of choosing for yourself drops. Positive verbal feedback about progress, by contrast, raised intrinsic motivation.
On the web
Do not promise rewards up front for experiences people enjoy, such as quizzes, tools, and games. Give an unexpected perk afterward, or make the result itself the reward.
When it backfires
Permanent "do X, get points" offers teach people to skip anything unrewarded. Researchers still disagree on the size of the effect, and results vary with conditions.
Sources
Children promised a reward for drawing later spent less free time drawing than children who were not.
Lepper, M. R., Greene, D., & Nisbett, R. E. (1973). Undermining children’s intrinsic interest with extrinsic reward. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28(1), 129-137. Open source
Across 128 experiments, expected tangible rewards lowered free-choice intrinsic motivation and positive feedback raised it. Other meta-analysts have disputed the conclusion.
Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (1999). A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 125(6), 627-668. Open source
Connect with the classics
These links are editorial readings, not research findings. Check the original meaning on each classics page.
予助苗長矣。“I helped the sprouts grow,” says the man who pulled them up and killed them. Outside pressure that harms natural growth parallels contingent rewards undermining intrinsic interest.
Mencius Gong Sun Chou I: the disposition behind judgment →