Speaker: Associate Professor Wang Xinghua (Advanced Economic Research Institute, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics)
Host: Assistant Professor Lan Lan (Li Anmin Institute of Economics, Liaoning University)
Guest Introduction: Assistant Professor Yang Guohao (Li Anmin Institute of Economics, Liaoning University)
Date: Friday, December 5, 2025
Time: 10:00–11:30 (Beijing Time)
Venue: First-floor Meeting Room, Wuzhouyuan, Chongshan Campus, Liaoning University
Online Access: Tencent Meeting 730-281-8924
Language: Chinese/English
Abstract:
We report results from a large-scale field experiment systematically examining how monetary incentives affect performance in intrinsically enjoyable tasks. Participants tasted and evaluated free snacks across four sessions. We compared performance under three incentive schemes: no incentives, performance-contingent incentives, and task-noncontingent incentives. Rewards were either announced in advance or introduced as a surprise, yielding five conditions in total. Incentives were provided in the first two sessions and withdrawn in the last two. We measured output quantity, output quality, time invested, and overall productivity. All incentives improved performance, with performance-contingent rewards substantially more effective than noncontingent ones. Our results confirm the existence of gift exchange. However, contrary to standard findings in psychology, we find no evidence that external rewards crowd out intrinsic motivation.
Author Profile:
Associate Professor Wang Xinghua currently serves as an Associate Professor at the Advanced Economic Research Institute of Dongbei University of Finance and Economics. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Pompeu Fabra University in Spain in 2020. His main research areas include behavioral and experimental economics, cognitive and behavioral decision-making, and management decision-making. His research findings have been published in internationally renowned academic journals such as *Games and Economic Behavior* and *Judgment and Decision Making*.
