Extrinsic Motivation: What Is It and How Does It Work?
Definition
Extrinsic motivation is reward-driven behavior. It’s a type of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is a form of behavior modification that uses rewards or punishments to increase or decrease the likelihood that specific behaviors will recur.
In extrinsic motivation, rewards or other incentives — like praise, fame, or money — are used as motivation for specific activities. Unlike intrinsic motivation, external factors drive this form of motivation.
Being paid to do a job is an example of extrinsic motivation. You may enjoy spending your day doing something other than work, but you’re motivated to go to work because you need a paycheck to pay your bills. In this example, you’re extrinsically motivated by the ability to afford your daily expenses. In return, you work a set number of hours a week to receive pay.
Extrinsic motivation doesn’t always have a tangible reward. It can also be done through abstract rewards, like praise and fame.
In contrast, intrinsic motivation is when internal forces like personal growth or a desire to succeed fuel your drive to complete a task. Intrinsic motivation is typically seen as a more powerful incentive for behaviors that require long-term execution.
Examples of extrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivation can be used to motivate you to do various different things. If there’s a known reward tied to the task or outcome, you may be extrinsically motivated to complete the task.
Examples of external extrinsic rewards include:
competing in sports for trophies
completing work for money
customer loyalty discounts
buy one, get one free sales
frequent flyer rewards
Examples of psychological extrinsic rewards include:
helping people for praise from friends or family
doing work for attention, either positive or negative
doing tasks for public acclaim or fame
doing tasks to avoid judgment
completing coursework for grades
Is it effective?
Extrinsic motivation may be more effective for some people than it is for others. Certain situations may also be better suited for this form of motivation. For some people, the benefits of external rewards are enough to motivate high-quality continuous work. For others, value-based benefits are more motivating.
Extrinsic motivation is best used in circumstances when the reward is used sparingly enough so it doesn’t lose its impact. The value of the reward can decrease if the reward is given too much. This is sometimes referred to as the overjustification effect.
The overjustification effect happens when an activity you already enjoy is rewarded so often that you lose interest. In one study, researchers looked at the way 20-month-olds responded to material rewards compared to their response to social praise or no reward. Researchers found that the group that received material rewards was less likely to engage in the same helpful behaviors in the future. This suggests that the overjustification effect can start at an early age.
There’s some evidence that an excessive amount of extrinsic rewards can lead to a decrease in intrinsic motivation. Not all researchers agree, however. The idea was first explored in a study published in 1973.
During the study, some children were rewarded for playing with felt-tip pens. This was an activity they already enjoyed. Other children weren’t rewarded for this activity. After continued reward, the reward group no longer wanted to play with the pens. The study participants who weren’t rewarded continued to enjoy playing with the pens.
A meta-analysis from 1994 found little evidence to support the conclusions from the 1973 study. Instead, they determined that extrinsic motivation didn’t affect long-term enjoyment of activities. However, a follow-up meta-analysis published in 2001 found evidence to support the original theory from 1973.
Finally, a more recent meta-analysis from 2014 determined that extrinsic motivation only has negative outcomes in very specific situations. But for the most part, it can be an effective form of motivation.
Depending on how it’s used, it’s possible that extrinsic motivation could have negative long-term effects. It’s likely an effective method when used in addition to other forms of motivation.
What are some of the cons to using extrinsic motivation?
A major drawback to using extrinsic motivation is knowing what to do when the reward is gone or its value is exhausted. There’s also the possibility of dependency on the reward.
The usefulness of extrinsic motivators should be evaluated on a case-by-case and person-by-person basis.
Extrinsic motivation and parenting
Very few studies have explored the long-term effects of continuous extrinsic motivation use with children. Extrinsic motivation can be a useful tool for parents to teach children tasks and responsibilities.Certain extrinsic motivators, like support and encouragement, may be healthy additions to parenting practices. Some rewards are often discouraged because it may lead to unhealthy associations with the rewards later in life. For example, using food as a reward may lead to unhealthy eating habits.
For small developmental tasks, extrinsic motivators like praise can be very helpful. For instance, using praise can help with toilet training. If you use external rewards, try phasing them out over time so that your child doesn’t become dependent on the reward.
Takeaway
Extrinsic motivation can be useful for persuading someone to complete a task. Before assigning a reward-based task, it’s important to know if the person doing the task is motivated by the reward being offered. Extrinsic motivators may be a useful tool to help children learn new skills when used in moderation.
For some people, psychological extrinsic motivators are more appealing. For others, external rewards are more attractive. It’s important to remember, however, that extrinsic motivation isn’t always effective.
Last medically reviewed on September 25, 2017
What is negative reinforcement?
Negative reinforcement is a method that can be used to help teach specific behaviors. With negative reinforcement, something uncomfortable or otherwise unpleasant is taken away in response to a stimulus. Over time, the target behavior should increase with the expectation that the unpleasant thing will be taken away.
Read on to learn more about this type of learning.
How does it work?
The relationship between behavior and consequences is part of a type of learning called operant conditioning. It dates back to the late 1930s.
For negative reinforcement to work, whatever is taken away must be taken away immediately after the behavior in question. The end result is to get whatever behavior is happening to continue and even increase.
Examples
A person hears a loud alarm. They push the STOP button on the alarm to make the noise stop. Now whenever the alarm goes off, they push the STOP button as quickly as they can.
Before behavior: Loud alarm
Behavior: Person turns alarm off
After behavior: No more annoying sound
Future behavior: Person pushes STOP every morning to quiet alarm
Parents complain to their child when the child doesn’t clean their room. The child starts cleaning their room to make the complaining stop. Now the child cleans their room more regularly to avoid the complaining.
Before behavior: Complaining parents
Behavior: Child cleans room
After behavior: No more complaining
Future behavior: Child keeps room clean
Negative reinforcement vs. positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is when you give something to a person in response to a certain behavior. It can include anything from allowances to special activities to verbal praise. The idea is that giving that thing will increase the likelihood that the behavior will continue.
For example, a child is told that they’ll earn $5.00 for each A on their report card. The child starts getting good grades. The positive reinforcement here is the $5.00 for each A. The behavior achieved is the child earning good grades.
With both positive and negative reinforcement, the goal is to increase the behavior. The difference is that with negative reinforcement, the behavior results in taking something unpleasant away. With positive reinforcement, the behavior results in earning or attaining something desirable.
Negative reinforcement vs. punishment
Many people confuse negative reinforcement with punishment. The key area where these two methods differ is in the end result. With reinforcement, adding or taking away something is meant to increase the behavior. With punishment, adding or taking away something is meant to decrease or weaken the behavior.
You may already be familiar with specific examples of punishments. They include things like time-outs, groundings, or loss of privileges. Just like with reinforcement, though, punishment can be broken down into positive punishment and negative punishment.
With positive punishment, you add something unpleasant in response to a behavior. For example, a child chews gum in class, which is against the rules. The punishment is the teacher disciplining them in front of the class. The child stops chewing gum in glass.
With negative punishment, you take away a positive reinforcement in response to a behavior. For example, an older sister picks on her younger brother. The punishment is the parent taking away her favorite toy. The girl stops picking on her brother as a result.
So, should you use negative reinforcement or punishment? Think back to your goal. If it’s to increase a certain behavior, negative reinforcement is the better approach. If it’s to decrease a behavior, punishment may be the better route.
Is negative reinforcement bad?
While the word “negative” may throw you, using this method for behavior change isn’t necessarily bad. In negative reinforcement, the word “negative” is referring more to the act of taking something away, like a minus sign in a mathematical equation.
Usually the thing that’s removed in response to the behavior is something the person finds unpleasant or uncomfortable. The removal often results in a favorable outcome for the person.Efficacy
Negative reinforcement can be an effective tool when used correctly. Using negative reinforcement may not always get the intended results, however. This type of behavior conditioning is simply meant to increase a behavior. As a result, it can work both ways, reinforcing either favorable or unfavorable behaviors.
Examples of negative reinforcement for unfavorable behaviors
A child screams whenever they’re offered macaroni and cheese at a meal. When they scream, their parents immediately take the food away. Each time macaroni and cheese is offered, the child’s tantrums increase and the parents give in.
Before behavior: Macaroni and cheese on child’s plate
Behavior: Child screams
After behavior: Parents take food away
Future behavior: Child will scream whenever offered macaroni and cheese
A child doesn’t like wearing a certain shirt their mother purchased for them. The child noticed in the past that their mother doesn’t make them wear damaged clothing, so the child cuts the shirt with scissors. When the mother discovers this, she takes the shirt away.
Before behavior: Horrible shirt
Behavior: Child damages clothing
After behavior: Mother takes shirt away
Future behavior: Child will damage clothing they don’t want to wear
Negative reinforcement in the classroom
Negative reinforcement might work in a classroom setting.
Example of negative reinforcement in the classroom
A student with autism is learning to communicate using pictures. The student is working with the “no” symbol of a circle with a line through it, also known as the PECS “no” picture. The teacher helps the student learn to show the “no” picture when they’re being offered something they don’t like. Now when the child is presented with something they don’t want, they display the “no” picture.
Before behavior: Child given something they don’t want
Behavior: Child shows “no” picture
After behavior: Undesired item is taken away
Future behavior: Child shows “no” picture when they want something taken away
In this example, the negative reinforcement is beneficial to the child. That said, positive reinforcement is typically the better approach to behavior in a classroom setting. This might include things like motivating children with the use of small prizes, social activities, and special privileges for increasing positive behaviors.
Positive reinforcement in the classroom
To create a positive reinforcement method in the classroom:
Find out what motivates your students. You may consider writing up a survey to have them fill out.
Focus on a certain behavior you want to change. For example, maybe you want students to be better about turning in assignments.
Clearly define the desired behavior to your students. For example, let your students know that you want them to turn in assignments on time. Be as specific as possible when defining your expectations.
Present the reinforcement immediately upon seeing the desired behavior. For example, if the class has turned in all assignments on time, immediately give them praise or other motivators, like special privileges.
Not all children respond the same way to reinforcement. You may need to cater your approach to accommodate for the differences.
Takeaway
There are a variety of ways to encourage and discourage behaviors. Negative reinforcement can be a useful tool if you’re looking to increase a certain behavior. Punishment, on the other hand, is meant to decrease behaviors. The word “negative” simply refers to taking something away and does not mean that this method is bad and not worth exploring.
Regardless of what discipline method you choose, consistency and the timing of the consequence are the most important aspects.
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