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Jason Perry

A1

9/19/00

Rewards Essay

In the article, "Rewarding kids may be a mistake," the author states that positive reinforcement may not be the best way to get a child to do something. The author, Alfie Kohn, states that kids "do sloppier work and have less fun when a prize is at stake." When a child does something for the sake of doing something, called "intrinsic motivation," they tend to do be more motivated and more successful at the task at hand. When a child does something just for the chance at getting a reward, or "extrinsic motivation," they don’t get the job done as well and they are not as motivated. Obviously from an outsiders point of view intrinsic motivation is best.

There are a few explanations given in the article to explain why this happens. One states that people who are working just for the reward feel controlled by the reward. This theory is favored by Richard Ryan of the University of Rochester. The other is that when you don’t have a reward you are more involved in what you are doing and that it is the main focus of your thinking. This is called task involvement. Those who work for a reward fell as though they have to do the task better than everyone else does. This is called ego involvement. Of the two, task involvement is best because you do a better job when your thinking is focused on the task rather than how everyone else is doing. John Nicholls of the University of Chicago favors this theory.

The Curtis comic strip from 1990 demonstrates extrinsic motivations. In the beginning, Curtis does not want to take his brother to school. His mother tries to convince him that if he doesn’t take him to school, Barry could be harmed. This does not convince Curtis to take him to school. Then his dad walks in and tells him he will add an extra dollar to Curtis’ allowance. Curtis then decides to take Barry to school with him. In his final remark, Curtis shows that he is only doing this for the money. This is a clear example of extrinsic motivation.

The article describes a program called "Book It!" in which Pizza Hut offered a personal pan pizza if a child read an x number of pages. I was involved with that program and I can say that I only read most of those books for the pizza. However, I did not turn out fat and I don’t hate books. I may only be one example but for me Professor Nicholls’ comment about the program seems to not have come true. Another example of extrinsic motivation is my dog. We have tried to teach him to sit but he will only do it when a treat is presented. He will only do the trick for the reward.

I believe that positive reinforcement is still applicable but with a few caveats. When having someone do a task, don’t come right out and say, "If you do this, I will give you a cookie." Have the person perform the task without mentioning a reward, and if they have performed it well, give them a cookie. That way they get something out of the experience without only working to get the cookie.