Developmental psychology.pdf

Learning and Instruction 275
Figure 10.13
Types of Rewards. The academic
setting offers an intrinsic reward in
what is learned: knowledge for
knowledge's sake. An extrinsic
reward is the opportunity to obtain a
certain salary in a certain field of
work.
Reward and Punishment
The term motivation refers to an internal state, a desire to achieve a certain goal. Involving
physiological conditions as well as interests and attitudes, motivation can be
influenced by external events that pertain to these conditions. These events, in a general
sense, are referred to as reward and punishment.
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Rewards The use of reward to motivate behavior is widely
acknowledged in such expressions as "using a carrot," "giving a gold star," and "catching
more flies with honey than with vinegar." But there are different kinds of rewards, and
even the same reward may be perceived differently by different people, resulting in
differences in motivation.
An extrinsic reward is not integral to the performance of the task itself. It is
something arbitrarily assigned to a behavior. A woman is told that if she does well in
a bank in Paris, she will receive a raise in salary. A child is offered tickets to a soccer
match if he achieves a certain performance in school. In contrast, an intrinsic reward
is inherent in the task itself. It is a natural outcome of the learning. The satisfaction
one derives from speaking Spanish well, without using it for business purposes, is an
example of an intrinsic reward (Figure 10.13).
One advantage of discovery learning, according to its advocates, is that the
discovery process is intrinsically rewarding. In programmed instruction a light or buzzer,
when used as an additional signal of the correct response, constitutes an extrinsic reward.
The motivating influence of extrinsic reward has been demonstrated in all sorts
of situations. Even teachers show more interest in research on this basis, participating
more readily when offered a small honorarium (Olejnik & Doeyan, 1982).
When extrinsic reward is employed too blatantly, however, it may appear as
a bribe and even retard learning. Monkeys manipulate mechanical devices for no extrinsic
reward, but when one is introduced, they become less interested in the task per
se (Harlow, Harlow, & Meyer, 1950). Working-class children, compared with children
from the middle class, show diminished interest in certain school problems after material
rewards have been introduced (Wilson, 1982). On this basis management should
be cautious about the kind and size of incentives used to induce someone to change
jobs or move to another country.
The importance of the way in which rewards are perceived also has been shown
with gifts rather than bribes. In one experiment schoolchildren and college students
were offered candy and coins, respectively. Both groups had the choice of receiving
each item by operating a lever or simply by choosing it from a filled dish. Overall, it