Universität zu Köln

Achtziger, Anja, Alos-Ferrer, Carlos, Huegelschaefer, Sabine and Steinhauser, Marco (2015). Higher incentives can impair performance: neural evidence on reinforcement and rationality. Soc. Cogn. Affect. Neurosci., 10 (11). S. 1477 - 1484. OXFORD: OXFORD UNIV PRESS. ISSN 1749-5024

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Abstract

Standard economic thinking postulates that increased monetary incentives should increase performance. Human decision makers, however, frequently focus on past performance, a form of reinforcement learning occasionally at odds with rational decision making. We used an incentivized belief-updating task from economics to investigate this conflict through measurements of neural correlates of reward processing. We found that higher incentives fail to improve performance when immediate feedback on decision outcomes is provided. Subsequent analysis of the feedback-related negativity, an early event-related potential following feedback, revealed the mechanism behind this paradoxical effect. As incentives increase, the win/lose feedback becomes more prominent, leading to an increased reliance on reinforcement and more errors. This mechanism is relevant for economic decision making and the debate on performance-based payment.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Achtziger, Anja UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Alos-Ferrer, Carlos UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Huegelschaefer, Sabine UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Steinhauser, Marco UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-387841
DOI:	10.1093/scan/nsv036
Journal or Publication Title:	Soc. Cogn. Affect. Neurosci.
Volume:	10
Number:	11
Page Range:	S. 1477 - 1484
Date:	2015
Publisher:	OXFORD UNIV PRESS
Place of Publication:	OXFORD
ISSN:	1749-5024
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language PARADOXICAL PERFORMANCE; FINANCIAL INCENTIVES; REWARD PREDICTION; CHOKING; DOPAMINE; PRESSURE; FEEDBACK Multiple languages Neurosciences; Psychology; Psychology, Experimental Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/38784