More money at stake did not make visual memory more accurate
In three online experiments, a larger reward did not appear to improve memory for a figure’s orientation. Remembering more figures did make it harder.
The key idea
In these visual memory tests, a larger reward did not sharpen recall, while having more figures to retain did make it less accurate.
The study, in plain language
People viewed figures briefly, waited one second, and rotated another figure to match the orientation they remembered. In the first two experiments, the bonus varied between groups. In the third, it varied from trial to trial for each participant.
None of the three experiments showed improved accuracy when the reward increased. By contrast, memory became less accurate when more figures had to be retained. One study also measured participants’ enjoyment of doing the task for its own sake, and the money did not noticeably change it.
In this task, more money at stake did not lead to a more accurate memory of orientation; the amount of information to retain did leave a mark.
What they found
- Higher bonuses did not improve accuracy in remembering which way the figures pointed under the tested conditions.
- When the reward changed from trial to trial for the same person, no difference was observed either.
- Retaining more figures did make it harder to get the orientation right.
How they studied it
In three online experiments, people viewed oriented figures for 50 milliseconds and reproduced their angle one second later. Researchers compared different bonuses and numbers of figures, between groups in the first two experiments and across trials within the same person in the third. The authors note that other incentives or more meaningful objects could produce different results.
What the study cannot show
- The figures were abstract, the task was brief, and the sample was recruited online. The result covers those incentives and that measure of visual memory, not other tasks or forms of motivation.
Something to think about
Before attributing a memory lapse to a lack of motivation, consider how demanding the task itself is. Here, offering a larger reward did not appear to change a performance measure, while retaining more items at once did make it worse.
The original study
No effect of monetary reward in a visual working memory task
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.
