01 - Image Concerns (Ariely et al., 2009)

Question 1

motivation - three different reasons to behave prosocially

Answer 1

intrinsic motivation: the value of giving per se, represented by private preferences for others wellbeing, such as pure altruism
extrinsic motivation: any material reward or benefit associated with giving
image motivation: individuals’ tendency to be motivated partly by others perceptions

Question 2

idea of the paper

Answer 2

the paper experimentally tests a mechanism by which extrinsic incentives can have detrimental effects on prosocial behavior: they may interact with image motivation by diluting the signaling value of prosocial behavior

Question 3

experiment design

Answer 3

in the experiment, named “click for charity” the subject could donate to a charitable organization by clicking two keys on a computer keyboard.

Question 4

four treatments

Answer 4

subjects click in private, no private incentive
subjects click in public, no private incentive
subjects click in private, get paid same as what goes to charity
subject click in public, get paid same as what goes to charity

Question 5

results (without monetary incentives)

Answer 5

In line with the image-motivation-hypothesis: subjects exerted more effort for a good cause in public, where they are able to signal their effort to many others.

Question 6

results (monetary incentives)

Answer 6

While monetary incentives do not increase the effort expeneded in public, they do increase effort signifantly in the private condition. This result supports the Effectiveness Hypothesis, which posits that private monetary incentives crowd out the image motivation to behave prosocially.

Question 7

Image-Motivation Hypothesis

Answer 7

Ceteris paribus, changing visibility changes the level of prosocial activity. For a positive image, increasing visibility increases the level of prosocial activity.

Question 8

Effectiveness Hypothesis

Answer 8

Extrinsic rewards are less effective the greater the visibility of the prosocial act.