Rewards and Punishments

In the most general sense of the term, psychologists define extrinsic motivation as:

• Receiving a physical reward such as a sticker

• Doing a task for reasons other than because the task is interesting or enjoyable

• Feeling interested or engaged in the task

The only reason Tara came to class today is because her best friend Maria is in the class and Maria makes Tara feel like she’s supposed to go.

True or False: Tara is experiencing extrinsic motivation.

• TRUE

• FALSE

An elementary school student was put on the spot when answering a math question at the board and got really anxious. Now, she’s nervous anytime she thinks about doing math.

This is an example of:

• Controlling rewards

• Informational rewards

• Operant conditioning

• Classical conditioning

Which of the following best describes an example where providing an extrinsic reward is most likely beneficial for the student’s future intrinsic motivation?

• Selene is already interested in studying geography

• The task requires Justin to be creative and think outside the box

• The reward provides specific feedback to Mari about how to improve

• Asia raises her hand to receive participation credit

What is the "overjustification hypothesis"

• Using rewards to get students to be creative can actually decrease creativity

• Trying hard to rationalize whether students will enjoy a specific reward is not beneficial

• Providing external rewards to do something already interesting decreases future intrinsic motivation