Reward and Creativity: Immunizing Students Against the Negative Effects of Reward on Creativity

Since the ancient past scholars have wondered about the relationship between creative activity and the tangible reward of producing that activity. Does getting paid to be creative have a positive or detrimental effect on the outcome? Recent studies have shown an "overjustification" effect, wherein participants not expecting a reward produce more creative output than those expecting a reward. The goal of the current research was to immunize college students against the overjustification effect, the case in which the expectation of an external reward leads to lowered levels of creativity and intrinsic motivation. Participants received immunization through video and writing activities, then were asked to write two poems with or without the expectation of reward at the end. Participants’ intrinsic motivation was assessed, and their poems were rated for creativity. Participants showed an overjustification effect but the immunization did not produce a significant result. The study contains a substantial overview of the literature on overjustification and immunization and is of interest to anyone working in Educational or Behavioral Psychology.