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Extrinsic rewards undermine altruistic tendencies in 20-month-olds.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Warneken, F; Tomasello, M
Published in: Developmental psychology
November 2008

The current study investigated the influence of rewards on very young children's helping behavior. After 20-month-old infants received a material reward during a treatment phase, they subsequently were less likely to engage in further helping during a test phase as compared with infants who had previously received social praise or no reward at all. This so-called overjustification effect suggests that even the earliest helping behaviors of young children are intrinsically motivated and that socialization practices involving extrinsic rewards can undermine this tendency.

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Published In

Developmental psychology

DOI

EISSN

1939-0599

ISSN

0012-1649

Publication Date

November 2008

Volume

44

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1785 / 1788

Related Subject Headings

  • Reward
  • Reinforcement, Verbal
  • Psychology, Child
  • Motivation
  • Male
  • Internal-External Control
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • Helping Behavior
  • Female
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Warneken, F., & Tomasello, M. (2008). Extrinsic rewards undermine altruistic tendencies in 20-month-olds. Developmental Psychology, 44(6), 1785–1788. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013860
Warneken, Felix, and Michael Tomasello. “Extrinsic rewards undermine altruistic tendencies in 20-month-olds.Developmental Psychology 44, no. 6 (November 2008): 1785–88. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013860.
Warneken F, Tomasello M. Extrinsic rewards undermine altruistic tendencies in 20-month-olds. Developmental psychology. 2008 Nov;44(6):1785–8.
Warneken, Felix, and Michael Tomasello. “Extrinsic rewards undermine altruistic tendencies in 20-month-olds.Developmental Psychology, vol. 44, no. 6, Nov. 2008, pp. 1785–88. Epmc, doi:10.1037/a0013860.
Warneken F, Tomasello M. Extrinsic rewards undermine altruistic tendencies in 20-month-olds. Developmental psychology. 2008 Nov;44(6):1785–1788.

Published In

Developmental psychology

DOI

EISSN

1939-0599

ISSN

0012-1649

Publication Date

November 2008

Volume

44

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1785 / 1788

Related Subject Headings

  • Reward
  • Reinforcement, Verbal
  • Psychology, Child
  • Motivation
  • Male
  • Internal-External Control
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • Helping Behavior
  • Female