Extrinsic Rewards

We’ve all been motivated by external rewards at some point in our lives — I used to give my kids M&M’s whenever they successfully used the potty. I’ll fill out a survey of any length in exchange for the chance to win a gift card. Whatever incentives we’re driven by, this type of reward-based behavior is referred to as extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is also reward-driven, but it’s based on internal gratification, the feeling of a job well done, versus external recognition, like praise. For many students, completing a difficult homework assignment does not feel personally fulfilling (intrinsic), nor does the promise of a good grade feel particularly motivating (extrinsic). So what happens when a student simply doesn’t want to do something?

Extrinsic motivation works by stimulating the brain’s reward system. The reward triggers a release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is known as the “feel-good” hormone. As humans, our brains are hard-wired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine in our reward system. James Clear, author of the best selling book, Atomic Habits, states that even the anticipation of the reward is enough to stimulate a dopamine response. The reward can be either tangible (a Twix bar or downloading a new video game) or intangible (compliments from a teacher or an extended curfew).

Extrinsic rewards are especially useful for those with ADHD, as they have low levels of dopamine, which can make it difficult to start or complete non-preferred tasks. Even as adults, we all have things we have to do that feel difficult – like writing a blog post – or that we’re simply not motivated to do – like cleaning the house. Sometimes it’s not enough to tell ourselves, “Just get this done.”

For some students, the executive function skills, like task initiation or impulse control, have not come on-line yet. A dopamine producing extrinsic reward can help to reinforce a desired behavior, like getting started on a boring homework assignment. It can also make it more likely that the behavior will be repeated in the future. Over time, some rewards can start to lose their luster or students might just do the bare minimum to achieve them. They wonder if they’ll ever have the intrinsic motivation to do hard things because they simply know they should.

I encourage adding time each week to reflect upon the feelings surrounding the completion of a task. By consistently raising awareness of the elation felt when a difficult assignment is finished or the burst of pride upon receiving positive feedback from a teacher for an improved test score, students can begin to visualize how their future selves will feel when faced with a non-preferred task.

Reflecting upon the effectiveness of the reward used to achieve the difficult task highlights their behaviors, choices and outcomes, improving decision-making skills while encouraging intrinsic motivation. It does not happen overnight. It requires consistency and often reminders from a trusted adult or peer to help to remember to build that reflective time into ones schedule. Consider doing an exercise each Sunday evening after homework is done (provided it’s not completed at 1 am). Ask any of the following questions. What helped you to get started? How does it feel to be done? How would it have felt if you had started the work earlier? What could have motivated you to start earlier? How do you want to feel next weekend? What can you do to feel that way? What reward could help you to get started?

Consider Steph, a 9th grader who struggles with reading, especially when she finds the content boring. Recently, she’s performed poorly on her chapter quizzes for English. I asked Steph some simple questions about when and where she was reading. She said she likes to read at bed time because it’s been her routine since she was little; plus she likes how comfortable her bed is. While she usually finishes the chapter, Steph is often tired and doesn’t retain the information. She’ll wake up the next morning with zero recollection of what she’s read the night before. I’m curious, “Could waiting to read until the end of the night be a way of procrastinating?” She realizes it is.

Steph has tried to start reading earlier in the evening but finds that she continues to procrastinate no matter what she tells herself. I ask if she has ever used a reward to get something done in the past? She lights up and tells me about how much she loves hot beverages. If she’s feeling low energy on the weekend, making herself a cup of tea gives her a little mood boost. I explain that making tea is something that she enjoys, and this pleasurable activity produces a dopamine spike in her brain, thus making her feel better. By raising Steph’s awareness of the dopamine she receives from her tea-making ritual, she can now apply that same routine to her reading assignment during the week and perhaps use it as an incentive to get started a little earlier in the evening.

Over the coming weeks, Steph notices that the excitement of making a hot cup of tea is not as much of a motivator as it was previously. I wonder if a new flavor would peak her interest? It does indeed and she immediately adds a new brand of mint tea to her Amazon cart. She shares her concern that even this reward might soon lose its luster. That’s okay, as adults, we constantly have to assess how well a routine or habit is working for us and make adjustments. It’s an important skill that Steph will use for the rest of her life in school, work, as well as in her relationships. I pull up a website that shows 20 different flavors of hot chocolate, she immediately feels better knowing that her extrinsic reward toolbox is well supplied for the time being.