Rewards,Intrinsic Motivation,and Creativity: A Case Study of Conceptual and Methodological Isolation

Three decades of research have failed to produce general agreement concerning the effects of reward on creativity. We believe that the problem stems not from any great complexity of research findings, but primarily from the clash between romantic and behaviorist worldviews concerning basic human nature. Isolation of these research camps has produced narrow perspectives and failures to correct persisting methodological flaws. Research correcting these flaws suggests that rewards for novel performance increase intrinsic motivation and creativity, whereas rewards for conventional performance decrease intrinsic motivation and creativity. Creative motivational orientation, enhanced by rewards, strongly affects innovative performance.