low compensation ($1) are more likely to rule out financial incentive as a motivating factor in their thinking process, and instead infer that their behaviour reflected genuine interest. When the external reward is subsequently removed, individuals may be less likely to engage in the activity, providing a theoretical explanation for the overjustification effect.

Cognitive Evaluation Theory

Laboratory studies in the 1970s indicated that individuals under conditions with extrinsic rewards showed diminished intrinsic motivation.

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