Contingent pay and intrinsic task interest: Moderating effects of work values.

Examined the hypothesis that Ss' work value orientations would moderate the effect that contingent extrinsic incentives may have in reducing intrinsic task interest. 74 business undergraduates were administered demographic and work value questionnaires and the Clerical Abilities subtest of the Short Employment Tests. Ss were asked to proofread 2 short stories (high interest) or 2 law review article sections (low interest) under noncontingent, contingent, or no-pay conditions. Analyses showed that under contingent pay conditions, Ss with relatively higher extrinsic than intrinsic work values reported lower task satisfaction than Ss with relatively higher intrinsic work values. In contrast, under no-pay conditions, Ss with relatively higher extrinsic than intrinsic work values were actually more satisfied than their intrinsic counterparts. Results, therefore, support the existence of both an overjustification and an insufficient justification effect for financial incentives. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)