Maintaining Subject Motivation in Long-Term Experiments Using Performance Incentives and Penalties

Abstract

Experienced subjects participated in four consecutive experiments in which they performed a simulated low-level flight task. The study spanned several months, and various motivational techniques were employed with each experiment. Since the task involved low-level flight, accurate altitude control was desirable, and crash rates were of major concern. Based on both verbal and written subject debriefings, it was concluded that (1) providing lists of top scores promoted competition and motivated the subjects to improve their altitude control performance, (2) penalizing scores and negative reinforcement in the form of posted crash lists were effective in reducing crash rates, and (3) monetary awards were a minor source of motivation but were not considered a primary incentive to the subjects.