I'm outta here. Contrary to criticism, the questions asked were important to understand the relationship between rewards and intrinsic motivation, and all relevant studies are included in the meta-analysis. The technique used and the important practical implications of the findings are discussed. Abstract Analysis of the results of 96 experimental studies conducted over the past 20 years revealed that reward does not reduce intrinsic motivation, disproving the view that people are less motivated to pursue an activity they used to enjoy if they are rewarded for the activity and the reward is then withheld. All the studies evaluated nonrewarded controls and rewarded subjects n four measures of intrinsic motivation using between-groups designs.
Spoken praise increases intrinsic motivation.
Removal of physical rewards given merely for task completion causes produces slight negative results. Intrinsic motivation is not adversely affected by reinforcement. Based on seemingly overwhelming empirical evidence of the decremental effects of reward on intrinsic task interest and creativity, the use of reward to alter human behavior has been challenged in literature reviews, textbooks, and the popular media. Abstract Rewards affect motivation negatively under certain conditions that can be avoided and positively by using techniques from behavior theory. This conclusion is bolstered by findings from later studies on the subject.