Can Students Be Paid to Excel?

What about the psychological principle that giving someone an external motivation to something wipes out their internal motivation to do it?

What about dealing with the cultural problem in American schools that makes it "uncool" to be smart instead of being a jock?

There are some fairly strong reinforcement schedules which can create motivation, however they rely on one of two things.

1. The desire for the reinforcer never wanes.

or

2. The reward continually increases in value.

The first is brutal, the second unsustainable.

Highly internally motivated people can also be described as continually discontent. They fall into the first category.

Highly externally motivated people are often lazy in repose and obsessive/addictive in play.

-Ian

Can employees?