European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 14, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A by Lawrence m. Kutner new York times <4 m Ost parents would agree that it is generally better to Reward children for doing what you want than to punish them for avoiding tasks like finishing their Homework or cleaning the cats litter Box. Yet psychologists who study motivation a say it is not that simple. Intact sometimes parents and teachers actually Worsen the problem they Are trying to fight. What they May intend As a Reward the children May see As a bribe. Quot i never use the expression motivate a child Quot said or. Raymond. Wlodkowski a psychologist at Antioch University of Seattle. A a. A a a a Quot ,. A a. Quot that takes away their Choice All we can do is influence How they motivate Quot  a a a a studies show that there is a big difference Between doing something for. Enjoyment intrinsic motivation arid doing that same thing fora Reward extrinsic motivation. A a. A if children Are motivated extrinsic ally a. Rather than intrinsically when they Are told that they have done something wrong they tend to give up Quot said or. Ann k. Boggiano an associate professor of psychology at a. The University of Colorado at Boulder who a studies How incentives affect school a a. Performance. A a a ,.j other effects Are More Subtle if a Reward can be gained Only by doing an undesirable task the task tends to become even less attractive. One example is telling a child he will be allowed to watch television if he finishes his Quot mathematics Homework. The child will tend to enjoy doing the math problems less than if to had nil Boon offered the Reward or if he had simply been told that he should do his Homework and Walch some television. That tactic also encourages the child to a shift his focus from the task to the. Reward. He will try to get the Reward with . A Effort. T. Quot a. A child who is told that she should clean her room because that is one of her duties. As a family member will tend to do a better Job than one who feels she is doing it mostly to get her   Quot if the child does t like science arid the teacher puts a Bonus on doing  that does t increase the child a enjoyment of science Quot said. Wlodkowski who is an author of eager to. Learn helping children become motivated and love learning 1990, Jossey Bass $19.95. Quot because the emphasis is on the Reward Quot he continued Quot you never improve the activity. Once it s done the child will never do it  it a a. The size of the Reward intended to a a motivate a child also appears to have an effect but not the Way Many parents a believe. Quot Large rewards lend to draw the child s. Attention away from the task a a a a a. Studies have shown that children who Are offered a Large Reward a an item Worth $50, for example a tend to enjoy a task less than children who Are offered a Small Reward like a sundae or a game of catch. A Quot there Are dangers to offering children Large rewards for doing things that should have intrinsic value such As Reading or doing family chores Quot Wlodkowski said. Quot when we do that  undermine a those greater intrinsic  a a a offering a Large Reward also tells children that ultimately their parents Are taking 77�ere s a difference Between helping children develop certain values such As a sense of responsibility and getting a task done such As Homework. Responsibility for seeing that a task is done not. Only is the value of the work passed. By a be. It a school project or chores at Home a but the children become More a dependent upon their parents for the next Reward. So a a a a a a a a. A a a a Quot there a a difference Between helping a child develop certain values such As sense of responsibility  a task done such As taking out the garbage Quot said or. Richard a Ryan an associate a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester in upstate new York who studies the affects of rewards on children s motivation. A. A 1 a a Quot getting the task done is the easy part Quot respect opinions of children new York times e Ven though it can be difficult to persuade. Children to Complete undesirable tasks you can. Do some  help. A ,. Let your children know that you Are aware of and respect their opinions. /. After ail no one really enjoys taking out the garbage by stating that Yog realize it is sometimes a smelly and. Messy Job you Are letting them know that their feelings Are valid but they must still do their part. Athe same holds True for doing Homework. A a -. Acknowledge that sometimes it Isnit Tun and that it might be More pleasant to talk on the Telephone or watch television but  Clear that this does no to mean they should avoid their school assignments. With such an approach you avoid being sidetracked a into Battles Over whether they Are generally Lazy or selfish. Quot legitimize your child s  the activity whatever that feeling might be Quot said or Edward l Deci a professor of psychology and the director of the human motivation program at the University of Rochester. A Quot if you try to convince children that something is. V a interesting when it in to you re saying that their feelings Quot. Don t  a v a. Quot a a a. Avoid offering rewards for things that Are out. Of the child a control a a a to a a if you say you la give a child a certain amount of Money a. For each Quot a Quot on his report card the child will have no reason to keep working hard it he feels he will never get the  a a a a a a Quot instead. Focus on the activity you want the child Lodo such As studying or gel Ting papers in on time a Deci. Said. Quot involve your child to figuring out a study schedule that makes the child More Likely to follow through than if you. Sunn pay imposed Sorne rules Quot / Quot _ a. Took at your own behaviour. A you can hardly expect child to clean up her room n your room is a mess Quot children do  see their parents  i. A a or Raymond. Wlodkowski. A psychologist at Antioch. A University in Seattle a. Quot ask yourself if you re doing what you want your it Nidio do Quot he said Quot if the answer is no perhaps both you arid your child heed to change a bit. Mod children change when their parents change Quot a. A done to Offe Jarge rewards remember that doing so tends to Foster dependence a on the rewards and to make the task even loss attractive a a Quot the rewards you offer should be symbolic so that they re not the reason Tor doing the. Task Quot said or Richard a m. Ryan an associate professor of  the. A. University of Rochester a a a. A a Quot they re a acknowledgement of work we done Quot v Quot a Rida december 14, 1990 the stars and stripes a air Page 17