Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Incentive Theory: Pull Theory of Motivation

Incentive Theory: Pull Theory of Motivation

Incentive theory, or the "pull theory" of motivation, suggests that external rewards primarily drive behavior. Individuals are motivated to engage in activities when they anticipate a desirable outcome. This is why people often work hard for promotions or study intensively to achieve high grades. These incentives can be tangible, physical rewards such as money or promotions, or intangible, non-physical rewards like praise and social recognition.
The theory differentiates between...

Drive-Reduction Theory: Push Theory of Motivation

Drive-Reduction Theory: Push Theory of Motivation

Clark Hull's drive-reduction theory, introduced in the 1940s and 1950s and often termed the "push theory" of motivation, provides a framework for understanding how biological and learned drives influence behavior. Hull suggested that motivation originates from the need to alleviate physiological tension caused by unmet biological necessities. The theory proposes that when a basic need, such as hunger or sleep, goes unfulfilled, it creates an internal imbalance. This imbalance, or...

Motivational Bias

Motivational Bias

Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...

Secondary Motives: Power Motivation and Achievement Motivation

Secondary Motives: Power Motivation and Achievement Motivation

Power motivation and achievement motivation are two essential social motives identified by psychologist David McClelland. These motives influence behavior in various personal and professional contexts, shaping how individuals interact with others and pursue their goals.
Power motivation is characterized by the desire to influence, control, or have an impact on others. It is shaped by an individual's experiences, social environment, and cultural context. People with high power motivation are...

Primary and Secondary Reinforcers

Primary and Secondary Reinforcers

In psychology, reinforcement is a key concept in behavior modification. B.F. Skinner demonstrated this with his experiments involving rats in what is known as a Skinner box. The rats learned to press a lever to receive food, a primary reinforcer that fulfilled their innate need for nourishment.
Effective reinforcers for humans vary depending on the individual and the context. Primary reinforcers, such as food, water, sleep, shelter, and pleasure, have inherent value and satisfy basic biological...

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective.
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Pay-for-performance and low back pain with interaction of overwork: findings from the cross-sectional Korean working conditions survey.

Frontiers in public health·2024

Same author

Beating the rival but losing the game: How the source of alternative offers alters behavior and outcomes in negotiation.

The Journal of applied psychology·2023

Same author

Beliefs About Linear Social Progress.

Personality & social psychology bulletin·2023

Same author

Lay people's beliefs about creativity: evidence for an insight bias.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2021

Same author

Mass-scale emotionality reveals human behaviour and marketplace success.

Nature human behaviour·2021

Same author

Instrumental use erodes sacred values.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 17, 2026

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Published on: March 19, 2014

Paying for performance: Performance incentives increase desire for the reward object.

Julia D Hur¹, Loran F Nordgren¹

¹Department of Management and Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

|July 15, 2016

Summary

Performance incentives increase desire for rewards by focusing attention on the reward object. This effect was observed in multiple lab and field studies, impacting behavior like effort and charitable giving.

More Related Videos

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Training in Rats

Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Training in Rats

Published on: February 4, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 17, 2026

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Published on: March 19, 2014

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Training in Rats

Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Training in Rats

Published on: February 4, 2016

Area of Science:

Behavioral Economics
Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

Performance incentives are widely used to motivate individuals.
The psychological mechanisms linking incentives to reward desire are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how performance incentives influence desire for reward objects.
To explore the role of attentional fixation in this process.

Main Methods:

Conducted 5 laboratory experiments and 1 large-scale field study.
Manipulated performance incentives (monetary and nonmonetary) and measured reward desire, effort, and charitable giving.
Utilized attention measurement in one experiment.

Main Results:

Performance incentives significantly increased participants' desire for monetary and nonmonetary rewards.
Incentivized participants exerted more effort and were less willing to donate to charity.
Increased attention to the reward object partially mediated the effect of incentives on desire.

Conclusions:

Performance incentives enhance reward desire through attentional fixation on the reward object.
Findings have implications for understanding motivation and decision-making in various contexts.