Extrinsic Rewards Undermine Altruistic Tendencies in 20-Month-Olds
Developmental Psychology
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Date:
2008/12/01/
Pages:
1785 - 8
Sources ID:
48471
Collection:
Altruism
Visibility:
Public (group default)
Abstract:
(Show)
The current study investigated the influence of rewards on very young children's helping behavior. After 20-month-old infants received a material reward during a treatment phase, they subsequently were less likely to engage in further helping during a test phase as compared with infants who had previously received social praise or no reward at all. This so-called overjustification effect suggests that even the earliest helping behaviors of young children are intrinsically motivated and that socialization practices involving extrinsic rewards can undermine this tendency.