How do rewards affect intrinsic motivation?

What will be an ideal response?


People are intrinsically motivated to pursue a particular activity when they do so purely
out of interest, challenge, or sheer enjoyment. The receipt of rewards for engaging in
that activity can thus undermine their intrinsic motivation. Indeed, people who start
getting paid for a task that they already enjoy and used to do for free sometimes lose
interest in the task and continue it only because of the money they are earning.
Rewards are particularly likely to undermine intrinsic motivation when they are
perceived as controlling such behavior. For example, if people who enjoy sculpting
begin to get paid for this activity, they will likely lose intrinsic motivation to the extent
that they perceive the money to be the primary reason for continuing to sculpt. If,
instead, the money is perceived as having informational value in that it offers positive
feedback about the quality of the art, and the artists believe that the money is not an
important reason for sculpting, then their intrinsic motivation should not be undermined
and may even be increased.

Psychology

You might also like to view...

Which of the following statements best describes the study of personality?

A. Personality psychologists are interested in how people react to different situations. B. Personality psychologists now recognize that early explanations of personality, such as Freud's psychoanalytic theory, are incorrect. C. Personality psychologists are interested in consistent behavior patterns and intrapersonal processes originating within the individual. D. Personality psychologists are interested in the consistent behavior patterns caused either by something about the person or by placing the person in the same situation.

Psychology

Sigmund Freud was the first to develop a __________ theory of personality

a. behavioral c. psychodynamic b. humanistic d. cognitive

Psychology

Although several neurotransmitters may be involved, one that is often mentioned for its role in addiction due to its role in producing "reward" in the brain is:

a. acetylcholine b. norepinephrine c. dopamine d. GABA

Psychology

Janet is really fed up with her husband, Paul. He constantly starts projects but rarely finishes them. He has at least 10 different tasks that he has started and they are all currently "in progress."

When she asks him when he is going to finish, he is often evasive and makes no commitment because he is already thinking about starting on something new. It is possible that Paul suffers from: a) obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). b) attention deficit disorder (ADD). c) generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). d) histrionic personality disorder (HPD).

Psychology