Behavior modification programs relying on rewards rarely produce lasting changes in attitudes or behavior, and children whose parents frequently use rewards tend to be less generous¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 1994 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? When rewards stop, people usually return to prior behavior, and children whose parents make frequent use of rewards tend to be less generous than their peers. → Kohn 1994

Evidence¶

Kohn 1994¶

Kohn, Alfie. (1994). The Risks of Rewards. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education Urbana IL. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED376990

q2 · i? · review · r1

The digest reports, citing prior research (Fabes et al., 1989; Grusec, 1991; Kohn 1990), that "behavior modification programs are rarely successful at producing lasting changes" and that children of reward-using parents are less generous. No effect sizes are printed.

"Studies over many years have found that behavior modification programs are rarely successful at producing lasting changes in attitudes or even behavior. When the rewards stop, people usually return to the way they acted before the program began."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Expected tangible rewards reduce later free-choice engagement with a rewarded task, while verbal praise does not — related
• People offered a reward generally choose the easiest possible task, whereas children without rewards pick tasks just beyond their current ability — related
• Rewards cause people to lose interest in whatever they were rewarded for doing, undermining intrinsic motivation — related