Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, keeps the fire stoked. Here’s scientific proof: Back in the early 1970s, a group of psychologists conducted an experiment with preschool kids who loved to draw. Some of the children were given crayons and paper and told to have fun. A second group was told that if they drew a picture, they would receive a cool “good player” certificate, complete with silky ribbon. A couple of weeks later, the same activity was introduced back into the class. This time the scientists found that the kids who drew in order to win the ribbon (the extrinsic reward) showed
...more
