The Interplay of Goals and Promises of Pay-for-Performance on Individual and Group Performance: An Operant Interpretation

ABSTRACT

Building upon the work of Fellner and Sulzer-Azaroff (1984), an operant model of goal setting is presented from which the effects of goals as well as monetary reinforcers can be examined and compared. The model is premised upon the assumption that the effectiveness of individual and group goals and financial reinforcers can be predicted following a detailed examination of an individual's reinforcement history, level of deprivation and satisfaction and the prevailing behavioral contingencies. The effectiveness of the two discriminative stimuli—goals and promises of pay-for-peformance—are discussed in relationship to operant principles.