In a 2012 study, one group of teachers were promised a cash bonus if their students achieved a high enough test score, one group was given cash up front and were told they would have to pay the bonus back if their students didn’t perform well enough, and one group was given no bonus.
Which group performed the best?
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No bonus control group.
They wouldn’t overthink about performance and therefore would just do the job.
Second best performance would come from the group worried about giving it back. Third best those working only on a promise.
Good theorising, but no.
in that case I’ll shift up a space.
The ‘you’ll have to give it back’ group would have done best.
(I still refuse to believe that anyone working to a promise is actually incentivised)
Apparently loss aversion is a powerful motivator.