To Pay or Not to Pay?: Do Extrinsic Incentives Alter the Köhler Group Motivation Gain?

The Köhler effect is an increase in task motivation that occurs in performance groups when one is

(a) less capable than one’s fellow group members, and (b) one’s efforts are particularly indispensible

for group success. Recently, it has been shown that the Köhler effect can dramatically increase one’s

motivation to exercise. The present study examines the potential moderating effect of the provision

of extrinsic incentives on such Köhler motivation gains. When participants were offered such an

extrinsic incentive for persisting at an exercise task, a robust Köhler effect was observed—participants

who thought they were the less capable member of a dyad working at a conjunctive-group exercise

task persisted 26% longer than comparable individual exercisers. But an even stronger effect (a 43%

improvement) was observed when no such incentive was on offer. Possible explanations and boundary

conditions for this moderating effect are discussed.