Question

Which of the following is an example of the overjustification effect?

Children enjoy playing with toys until they are told they will get paid to play with toys. They may still play with toys to get paid, but they view it differently because they are getting paid. Difficulty: ModerateAPA Standard: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2
Children do not enjoy playing with learning toys until they find out they will be better at math after playing with the toys.
Children enjoy playing with toys more when they get to play with toys they have never seen before.
Children are unable to justify why they play with toys until a researcher explains intrinsic motivation to them.

Answer 1

The overjustification effect example provided is when children are offered payment to play with toys, which can reduce their intrinsic enjoyment of playing, leading to them perceiving it as a task done for extrinsic rewards.

Step-by-step explanation:

An example of the overjustification effect occurs when the introduction of extrinsic incentives, like payment, reduces a person's intrinsic motivation to perform an activity they previously enjoyed. In the scenario provided, children enjoyed playing with toys until they were told they would get paid to play with toys. This is a classic case where extrinsic motivation in the form of monetary reward diminishes the pure enjoyment of an activity. This change in motivation can lead to a perceived obligation to engage in the activity for the reward rather than for the enjoyment it previously provided.