Abstract
Four studies are reported which examine the free vs earned reward phenomenon in humans. The 308 subjects were distributed over all grade-levels from preschool through college. Candies and coins were used as rewards. The California Psychological Inventory was administered to the college students. In all experiments, subjects had the choice of obtaining rewards one at a time, either by pushing a lever or freely from a filled dish. There was a preference for obtaining rewards by lever-pushing. The preference decreased from nearly 100% to about 50% as subjects increased in age. No significant differences were found for type of rewards or sex except for males barpressing significantly more than females in the college group. Two scales of the inventory correlated significantly with barpressing.
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