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Header: Impact of Extrinsic Rewards On College Students Decisions

The Effects of Extrinsic Rewards in Relation to Internal Motivation Amongst College

Students
Kaitlin Pugh and Elizabeth Phan
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Running Header: Impact of Extrinsic Rewards On College Students Decisions

Kaitlin Pugh, Elizabeth Phan
Professor Waterhouse
UWRT
5 November 2014

Introduction
Our generation is constantly encouraged to perform to the best of our abilities;
however, without an incentive, we tend to stray away from putting forth that best effort.
Incentives can serve as a behavioral mechanism, motivating an individual to complete a
task with an expected benefit or reward. Studies have shown that individuals will react to
a reward depending on how long they have to perform the task (OConnor, Meade,
Carter, Rossiter, Hester, 2013). Although, there has been no studies done to show if the
distance of a reward will change the way people respond to a reward (OConnor, Meade,
Carter, Rossiter, Hester, 2013).

Methods
Participants
The participants in this social experiment were freshman college students (ages
17-19) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who were both North Carolina
and non-Carolina residents. College students were used for this social experiment to
further understand how intrinsic motivation and extrinsic rewards impact how college
students make decisions. Participants did not have to specifically fit into any
requirements or qualifications. Rather, subjects who participated were completely

Kaitlin Pugh 12/2/2014 8:14 PM

Comment [1]: Put your heading in the
header.
Check verb tense.
This is a great start. Plan for 2-3
paragraphs for your introduction.

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random in the student population. The advantage of participants partaking in the social
experiment would allow these subjects to increase their daily physical activity.

Measures
College students, specifically freshman college student were chosen as
participants for this social experiment to investigate the correlation between intrinsic
motivation and extrinsic rewards. To test this, there was not a specific scale or
measurement used other than observational record keeping. This included counting the
number of participants who actually participated at the start of the experiment and those
who completed the experiment expecting an external reward.

Procedures

This experiment was done on Thursday, November 6, 2014 from

2:00PM-4:00PM. Before this experiment it was recorded from 2:00PM-4:00PM on

Monday, November 3, 2014 how many people exited the stairs onto the eighth floor.
Also on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 from 2:00PM-4:00PM it was recorded how
many people took the elevator and the stairs in the Moore Hall lobby. To prepare
for this experiment it was necessary to cut out 50 pieces of paper with the word
Congratulations! printed on it. As well, a sign was made to put in the Moore Hall
lobby on the wall visible before the elevator and stairs that read, Walk up the stairs
to the eighth floor and receive a reward. On the day of the experiment, the sign was
posted when no subjects were in the lobby so they would not know an experiment
was being done. At exactly two oclock, the number of people going up the elevator

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and stairs was being counted and recorded by tally marks, while the people who
exited the eighth floor stairs was being counted and recorded by tally marks by the
person giving out the reward. If a student would exit the eighth floor stairs, they
would see a person sitting with a basket and a chair, and then be handed their
reward.

Kaitlin Pugh 12/2/2014 8:16 PM

Comment [2]: Don't discuss reasons
for the experiment in the participants
section.
Eliminate all opinion from this section.
For the measures section, just explain
how you measured participation.
Tell the procedures in the order you did
them.

Results
Table I. Before Social Experiment

160
140
120
100
80

Elevators

60

Stairs

40
20
0
8th Floor
Main Lobby

Results were made through observation of participants. Prior to the experiment, a study
was conducted to serve as control. In table 1, 157 people took the elevator and 36 people
took the stairs in the main lobby. On the 8th floor, 48 took people took the elevator and 2
people took the stairs.
Discussion

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The results from before the experiment was performed showed that not many
Moore Hall residents were willing to take the stairs without an incentive.
These findings have exemplified that rewards serve as an intrinsic motivation to
college students living in Moore Hall. Individuals are expected to react to a reward based
on its distance (OConnor, Meade, Carter, Rossiter, Hester, 2013) and while there was a
positive reaction to the reward, not all students entering the building walked to the eighth
floor. This was believed to have occurred as a result of the far spatial distance of the
reward.

Kaitlin Pugh 12/2/2014 8:17 PM

Comment [3]: Have some of your
results explanation before the graph.
Label the graph as figure 1 and then
refer to it as such in the writing.
How observations were made and what
was done prior to the experiment
belongs in the methods (possible
procedures?), not results.
In the results, explain what you found
from your baseline experiment and what
you found from your reward experiment.
In your discussion, your first sentence
is awkward. Add more to this
paragraph.
You're using intrinsic incorrectly.
far and spatial are redundant.

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References
OConnor, D.A., Meade, B., Carter, O., Rossiter S., Hester, R. (2013). Behavioral
sensitivity to reward is reduced for far objects. Sage Journals, 25(1), 271-277.
Ryan, R.M., Deci, E.L., Koestner, R. (1999). A meta-analytic review of experiments
examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological
Bulletin, 125(6), 627-668.
Pierce, D.W., Cameron, J., Banko, K.M., So, S. (2003). Positive effects of rewards and
performance standards on intrinsic motivation. The Psychological Record, 53, 561-579.

Kaitlin Pugh 12/2/2014 8:18 PM

Comment [4]: Good title page!
Use hanging indent for references.
ABC order for reference list.