Invitation to Psychology

Chapter 9 Learning and Conditioning 329

suggested that when we are paid for an activity, we

interpret it as work instead of something we do

because of our own interests and skills. It is as if

we say to ourselves, “Since I’m being paid, it must

be something I wouldn’t do if I didn’t have to.”

Then, when the reward is withdrawn, we refuse to

“work” any longer. Another possibility is that we

tend to regard extrinsic rewards as controlling, so

they make us feel pressured and reduce our sense

of autonomy and choice (“I guess I have to do what

I’m told to do, but only what I’m told to do”) (Deci

et al., 1999). A third, more behavioral explanation

is that extrinsic reinforcement sometimes raises

the rate of responding above some optimal, enjoy-

able level, at which point the activity really does

become work.

Findings on extrinsic versus intrinsic rein-

forcements have wide-ranging implications.

Economists have shown that financial rewards can

undermine the ethical and moral norms of hon-

esty, hard work, and fairness toward others, and

can decrease people’s willingness to contribute to

the common good (e.g., by paying taxes and giving

to charity). In other words, an emphasis solely on

money encourages selfishness (Bowles, 2008).

We must be careful, however, not to over-

simplify this issue. The effects of extrinsic re-

wards depend on many factors, including a per-

son’s initial motivation, the context in which

rewards are achieved, and in the case of praise,

the sincerity of the praiser (Henderlong &

Lepper, 2002). Sometimes extrinsic rewards can

help boost achievement. When some American

experiment. In contrast, children who had neither
expected nor received an award continued to show
as much interest in playing with the pens as they
had initially, as you can see in Figure 9.7. Similar
results have occurred in other studies when chil-
dren have been offered a reward for doing some-
thing they already enjoy.
Why should extrinsic rewards undermine the
pleasure of doing something for its own sake?
The researchers who did the felt-tipped pen study

Percentage of time spent with felt-tipped

pens in classroom (intrinsic interest)

Before

experiment

After

experiment

20

16

12

8

4

0

= No reward

expected

= Expected

reward

FigURE 9.7 Turning Play into Work
Extrinsic rewards can sometimes reduce the intrinsic
pleasure of an activity. When preschoolers were prom-
ised a prize for drawing with felt-tipped pens, the behav-
ior temporarily increased. But after they got their prizes,
they spent less time with the pens than they had before
the study began (Lepper, Greene, & Nisbett, 1973).

Get Involved! What’s Reinforcing Your Behavior?

For each activity that you do, indicate whether the reinforcers controlling your behavior are primarily

extrinsic or intrinsic.

Activity

Reinforcers mostly

extrinsic

Reinforcers mostly

intrinsic

Reinforcers about equally

extrinsic and intrinsic

Studying __________ __________ __________

Housework __________ __________ __________

Worship __________ __________ __________

Grooming __________ __________ __________

Job __________ __________ __________

Dating __________ __________ __________

Attending class __________ __________ __________

Reading unrelated to school __________ __________ __________

Sports __________ __________ __________

Cooking __________ __________ __________

Is there an area of your life in which you would like intrinsic reinforcement to play a larger role? What can

you do to make that happen?