Educational Psychology / Unit 7 EDP 0644 review, 2 to 3 minutes
When Rewards Backfire
The idea
Rewards are among the most familiar motivational tools in classrooms, and the overjustification effect warns that they can backfire. When a person already enjoys an activity, an expected extrinsic reward for doing it can reduce intrinsic motivation, as in Deci's 1971 study, where students paid to solve interesting puzzles later worked on them less than students never paid. The effect has limits. Tangible rewards such as money harm more than intangible ones such as praise; expected rewards harm more than unexpected ones; and the harm is smaller with flat-rate pay and well-defined tasks. Some researchers find that praise can even raise intrinsic motivation, and how large the harm is remains contested. Self-determination theory points the same way: its advice for supporting autonomy includes fewer external rewards and comparisons, along with real choices.
In practice
Worked example: a school launches a reading program that gives a prize for every book finished. Students who already loved reading now read for the prize, and some read less once the program ends. A second classroom takes a different approach. The teacher lets students choose their books, gives an unexpected word of praise for a thoughtful response, and has small groups share what they read. Reading there rests on autonomy, competence and relatedness rather than on prizes, so nothing is taken away when the year ends.
Where people slip
The lesson is not that rewards are always harmful. The effect concerns activities students already enjoy, so extrinsic rewards still have a place, used selectively. Unexpected, intangible and informational feedback carries the least risk. Most motivation mixes intrinsic and extrinsic sources, and the aim is to keep the reward from replacing the reason for learning.
Your place on the trail
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