| Abstract: | An experiment was conducted to examine the proposition, derived from self-perception theory, that the “overjustification” effect would be mitigated if initial attitudes toward the task were made salient. Children engaged in a target activity with or without the promise of reward for doing so. Half the children were shown a photograph of themselves freely engaging in the target activity in an earlier session so as to remind them of their intrinsic interest in the task. The other children were not shown such a photograph. Consistent with the predictions. expected reward decreased subsequent intrinsic interest only when initial attitudes were relatively nonsalient. The findings demonstrate the relevance of self-perception processes to the “overjustification” effect. |
