The Effects of Goal‐contingent Payment on the Performance of a Complex Task¹

Using a highly complex, computerized decision‐making task, 56 university students participated in a six‐week long, repeated measures, goal‐setting project, involving different payment systems. Results indicated that goal‐contingent payment is superior to hourly payment in influencing performance, even though the perceived valence of payment and the actual amount paid is substantially less. Discussion pointed out the limitations of the findings, including some basic equivocality in determining why such results were obtained. Discussion then focused on the implications of the findings for future investigations.