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Evidence for the Beneficial Effect of Reward on Working Memory: A Meta-Analytic Study
Weiyu Wang1, Xin Yan1, Xinyu He1
1Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, #132 Waihuan Dong Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Journal of Intelligence
|September 27, 2024
Summary
Rewards significantly boost working memory (WM) performance. Non-monetary rewards offer greater benefits than monetary ones, potentially by enhancing intrinsic motivation alongside extrinsic motivation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Rewards are external motivators influencing cognitive tasks.
- Previous research on reward's effect on working memory (WM) yielded mixed results.
- Factors like reward type and experimental design influencing WM are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the impact of rewards on working memory (WM) performance.
- To analyze moderating factors influencing the reward-WM relationship.
- To elucidate the mechanisms behind reward-enhanced WM.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a meta-analysis of 51 eligible studies.
- Included data from 1767 participants.
- Analyzed effects of different reward types and experimental paradigms.
Main Results:
- Reward robustly enhanced WM performance across studies.
- Non-monetary rewards showed greater benefits than monetary rewards.
- Reward binding, expectation, and subliminal reward all improved WM, with reward binding most effective.
Conclusions:
- Reward positively influences WM performance.
- Non-monetary rewards may enhance intrinsic motivation, leading to greater WM benefits.
- Reward effects on WM are moderated by WM type, experimental paradigms, and outcome measures.
