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📘 Why Can Rewards Reduce Interest in Something You Enjoy?

Picture a child already absorbed in drawing. Now promise a prize for drawing, and the same action has two possible explanations: “I like this,” or “I am doing this to get that.” That shift is the overjustification question—not a law that ev

2
lessons
~10 min
to learn
Adults
level
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What you’ll learn

  1. When Rewards Change MeaningExplain why an expected external reward can change the perceived reason for an interesting activity.The classic effect is conditional and depends on what later behavior means and measures.
  2. Designing Incentives Without Losing OwnershipCompare reward designs and apply a cautious incentive rule that preserves choice and useful feedback.Task interest, reward meaning, and the post-reward outcome all matter.

Questions this course answers

When is the overjustification concern most relevant?

The classic concern involves existing interest plus an expected external reason for acting.

What does the meta-analytic disagreement make clear?

The reviews disagree partly because they classify tasks, rewards, and outcomes differently.

How can feedback differ from a controlling reward?

Meaning depends on delivery and context; even praise can become pressure when it is used to control.

Grounded in trusted sources

  • Lepper, Greene, and Nisbett (1973), Undermining Children’s Intrinsic Interest with Extrinsic Reward - https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Motivation/Lepper_et_al_Undermining_Childrens_Intrinsic_Interest.pdf
  • Deci, Koestner, and Ryan (1999), A Meta-Analytic Review of Experiments Examining the Effects of Extrinsic Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation - https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/1999_DeciKoestnerRyan_Meta.pdf
  • Cameron, Banko, and Pierce (2001), Pervasive Negative Effects of Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation: The Myth Continues - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2731358/
  • Deci, Koestner, and Ryan (2001), Extrinsic Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation in Education: Reconsidered Once Again - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3102/00346543071001001
  • Wikimedia Commons MediaWiki API image records - https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/api.php

Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

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