Behavior maintenance capability of self-monitored reinforcement was compared to that of externally imposed reinforcement and to two noncontingent control conditions in 160 children in Grades 2 through 5. One half of the children at each grade level were intrinsically motivated and one half were extrinsically motivated. Self-reinforcement children selected their own performance standards and rewarded themselves whenever they obtained their prescribed level; external-reinforcement children were yoked to them so that the same behavioral standards were imposed but the reinforcers were administered externally. Intrinsically motivated children maintained their performance longer than did extrinsically motivated children under self-reinforcement, while extrinsically motivated children showed greater performance maintenance than did intrinsically motivated children under external reinforcement. Individual differences in motivational orientation must be considered in order to predict patterns of self-reward behavior.
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