Educational Psychology / Unit 7 EDP 0615 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Deci's Puzzle Study
Captions available
The idea
In Deci's 1971 study, students paid to solve interesting puzzles later worked on them less than students who were never paid.
In practice
Pay turned an enjoyable puzzle into a job, and the job ended when the pay did.
Where people slip
The harm is smaller with flat-rate pay and well-defined tasks, so extrinsic rewards are used selectively, not banned.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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