Final answer:
Motivation, particularly the interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, plays a crucial role in the cookie jar effect. While intrinsic motivation comes from personal enjoyment, extrinsic rewards such as money can sometimes undermine it, leading to less engagement in enjoyed activities once they are labeled as work.
Step-by-step explanation:
Role of Motivation in The Cookie Jar Effect:
Understanding how motivation plays a role in the cookie jar effect requires exploring the dynamics between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Deci's research indicates that intrinsic motivation is driven by personal enjoyment or interest, while extrinsic motivators such as money can negatively affect intrinsic motivation if expected. On the other hand, unexpected rewards or intangible rewards like praise may not harm, and might even enhance, intrinsic motivation. The relationship between these forms of motivation can be complex, as evidenced by behavioral changes over time in response to extrinsic rewards that were once enjoyed, like a hobby turning into a job. This phenomenon, known as the over justification effect, exemplifies how extrinsic rewards can sometimes undermine intrinsic motivation, leading to less engagement in an activity when the reward is removed.
However, contradictory evidence suggests that intrinsic motivation may not be so easily compromised. Some studies, such as those by Arnold and Cameron & Pierce, suggest verbal praise can boost intrinsic motivation even in the presence of extrinsic rewards. Nonetheless, traditional economic principles like the law of diminishing marginal utility contribute to our understanding of motivation by explaining why each subsequent unit of a consumed good provides less satisfaction than the previous one, capturing another aspect of the cookie jar effect.
In the broader context of behavioral economics, understanding motivation extends to how we structure our environments to encourage certain behaviors, such as saving for retirement through auto-enrollment in retirement plans—demonstrating how nudges can influence behavior and motivation.