Sex Differences, Positive Feedback and Intrinsic Motivation.

Recent studies by Deci have demonstrated that external rewards can affect intrinsic motivation to perform an activity. Monetary rewards which are made contingent on performance and threats of punishment for poor performance decrease a person's intrinsic motivation for the activity. On the other hand, positive verbal reinforcements have been shown to increase intrinsic motivation for male subjects. The present paper presents evidence that positive verbal reinforcements decreased intrinsic motivation for females while they increased it for males, and that negative feedback decreated intrinsic motivation for both males and females. The results of these experiments are discussed in relation to a cognitive evaluation theory presented earlier by Deci. A person is intrinsically motivated to engage in a behavior if he does it for no apparent reward except the activity itself (c.f., Berlyne, 1966; Hunt, 1955; Koch, 1956). Engaging in these behaviors allows him to feel a sense of competence and se'f-determination (White, 1959; de Charms, 1968; Deci, 1972a). Several recent studies have demonstrated that certain extrinsic rewards decrease a person's intrinsic motivation. Money (Deci, 1971, 1972a) and the avoidance of punishment (Deci and Cascio, 1972) decreased college students' intrinsic motivation for solving puzzles; good player awards decreased preschool children's intrinsic motivation for playing with drawing materials (Lepper, Greene, and Nisbett, in press), and prizes decreased elementary school children's enjoyment of competitive games (Kruglanski, Alon, and Lewis, 1972). On the other hand, Deci (1971, 1972a) has demonstrated that male subjects displayed an increased amount of intrinsic motivation when they were rewarded with positive verbal feedback from the experimenter. A Cognitive :Evaluation Theory Deci (1972a, 1972b) has suggested a congitive evaluation theory to account for these findings. There are two processes by which extrinsic rewards can affect intrinsic motivation: (1) a change in perceived locus of causality and (2) a change in one's feelings of competence and self-determination. When a person is intrinsically motivated the locus of causality (Heider, 1958; de Charms, 1968) is within himself. However, when he receives external rewards he begins to perceive that he is doing the activity for the external reward, so perceived locus of causality changes from within himself to the external reward leaving him with less intrinsic motivation.