Incentive - June 2009 - (Page 36)

Un d e r sta n d i n g Pr i m a r y & S e c o n d a r y R e i n f o rce r s i n Hu m a n M o ti va ti o n By Joshua Klapow PRIMER • Money is meaningful only because it is associated with meaningful things • If your incentives are not deemed meaningful, your program fails instantly • The more your participants can control their incentives, the more successful you’ll be Po i nt s to R em em b e r hat incentivizes you? Is it a primary reinforcer). Examples of secmoney? If so, how much? ondary reinforcers include verbal praise, Maybe it’s not money but time tokens at Chuck E. Cheese (I have two off work. Maybe it’s a young children), and Hawaiian vacation (that money. works for me). In contrast, primary Different incentives reinforcers are those to work for different people, which we are hardwired. and senior-level incentive Food, water, and air are planners have to motivate three examples. Obviousa large number of ly, we can’t provide priemployees. But is there a mary reinforcers as universal incentive— incentives. (“Nice work something that works in this performance period. motivating everyone? Have some air.”) But the In the search for the important point is that universal incentive, secondary reinforcers are Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., not inherently reinforcmoney often seems like is an associate professor in the the right choice. Everying; they only become Department of Health Care Organizaone likes money. Money incentives if they are motivates. Money is uniassociated with sometion and Policy at the University of versally appreciated. thing inherently reinforcAlabama at Birmingham School of But from a behavioral ing. Public Health. He is also the author of science perspective, So back to the univerLiving SMART: 5 Essential Skills to money, as an incentive or sality of money. Money is Change Your Health Habits Forever. “reinforcer,” is consida secondary reinforcer for For questions or comments, visit ered a secondary reinforcer most of us, since it is www.drjoshk.com or e-mail him at rather than a primary associated with things jklapow@uab.edu. one. The distinction is that are meaningful. important and has impliMoney itself has no cations for your incentive inherently reinforcing programs. properties. Give a two-year-old a $1 bill, a A secondary reinforcer is a neutral stim$5 bill, or even a $20 bill, and the most ulus that becomes a reinforcer due to its likely response is it is dropped on the floor, association with another reinforcer (usually torn into shreds, or chewed. Then, give W the child a talking Elmo doll (retails for around $26), and the most likely response is positive. Money is meaningful because it serves as a bridge to reinforcers. And now we have the problem: Twenty-five dollars may be meaningful enough for an individual whose household income is $20,000, but the amount is likely not enough for an individual whose income is $200,000. The point is that cash rewards can be limited by demographics. Gift cards pose a potentially greater problem. A gift card is a secondary reinforcer in that it represents a cash value, but it also designates the reinforcer an individual can choose. What does all of this mean? Incentive programs only work if the incentives are meaningful to the participants. If the incentives are not deemed to be meaningful, your program fails instantly. Money and gift cards are potentially powerful reinforcers, but they are subject to the limitations of being secondary reinforcers. In the case of gift cards, they work only if they allow purchases of meaningful items. Think about the two-year-old child one more time. Twenty-six dollars have no inherent meaning. An Elmo doll is a good guesstimate, but it is only a guess. Only the child knows what is reinforcing. Therefore, the more your program participants have control over what their incentives will be, the more likely they will find the incentives rewarding. 36 | Incentive | June 2009 | incentivemag.com http://www.drjoshk.com http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incentive - June 2009

Incentive - June 2009
Contents
Editor’s Note: Motivation 2.0
Headlines
Cover Story: 8th Annual Industry Roundtable
Interview: Roger Dow
Research: Sales IQ
Marketing Trips to Success
HR Guide to Incentives
Strategies: In the Loop
Primer: Cash Is Secondary
Case Study: Centennial Comm. Connects With Gen Y
Travel News: Where To Go
Captivating Colombia
South Africa Beckons
Potentials: Here and Now
Electronics: Thin and Green Are the Trends
Power & Hand Tools: Building Up When Economy’s Down
Concern Grows Over A Genuine Scare: Luxury Counterfeits

Incentive - June 2009