Reconciling economics and psychology on intrinsic motivation

Bruno, Bruna (2012): Reconciling economics and psychology on intrinsic motivation.

Abstract

The paper analyzes how the debate on intrinsic motivation was imported from psychology into economics. The most important differences between the two disciplines are in the definition of intrinsic motivation and in the timing of the undermining effect of rewards. The economic framework of inter-temporal choices is proposed to reconcile the different empirical and theoretical results arising in the literature, and it is shown how rewards induce substitution and income effects depending on whether they are transitory or permanent. Furthermore, a distinction between input and output oriented intrinsic motivation is introduced.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: intrinsic motivation, rewards, crowding out, undermining
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D0 - General > D03 - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles; Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics ; Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology; D - Microeconomics > D9 - Intertemporal Choice > D90 - General

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