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Updated: Apr 8, 2026

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
Published on: February 20, 2019
Evidence for the negative impact of reward on self-regulated learning
Hillary S Wehe1, Matthew G Rhodes, Carol A Seger
1a Department of Psychology , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA.
Abstract:
The undermining effect refers to the detrimental impact rewards can have on intrinsic motivation to engage in a behaviour. The current study tested the hypothesis that participants' self-regulated learning behaviours are susceptible to the undermining effect. Participants were assigned to learn a set of Swahili-English word pairs. Half of the participants were offered a reward for performance, and half were not offered a reward. After the initial study phase, participants were permitted to continue studying the words during a free period. The results were consistent with an undermining effect: Participants who were not offered a reward spent more time studying the words during the free period. The results suggest that rewards may negatively impact self-regulated learning behaviours and provide support for the encouragement of intrinsic motivation.
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