Examining the Effects of Goal-Setting, Feedback, and Incentives on Sustained Attention

Across four experiments we examined the effects of goal-setting, feedback, and incentivizing manipulations on sustained attention. In addition to measuring task performance, we measured subjective attentional states and momentary feelings of motivation and alertness. Experiment 1 compared two specif...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Brewer, G.A (Author), Robison, M.K (Author), Unsworth, N. (Author)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Psychological Association 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:View Fulltext in Publisher
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008 220427s2021 CNT 000 0 und d
020 |a 00961523 (ISSN) 
245 1 0 |a Examining the Effects of Goal-Setting, Feedback, and Incentives on Sustained Attention 
260 0 |b American Psychological Association  |c 2021 
856 |z View Fulltext in Publisher  |u https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000926 
520 3 |a Across four experiments we examined the effects of goal-setting, feedback, and incentivizing manipulations on sustained attention. In addition to measuring task performance, we measured subjective attentional states and momentary feelings of motivation and alertness. Experiment 1 compared two specific goal conditions—one difficult and one easy—with a standard set of instructions. The specific goal conditions both reduced RTs and attenuated the vigilance decrement but did not impact task engagement (motivation or task-unrelated thoughts). Experiment 2 manipulated both goal-setting and feedback across conditions. The combination of a specific goal and feedback had strong effects on both task performance and task engagement. Additionally, feedback increased task engagement (higher motivation and fewer task-unrelated thoughts) regardless of whether or not it was paired with a specific goal. Experiment 3 examined the effect of pairing goals with a reward. Participants in one reward condition (time-based incentive) reported higher motivation but did not show better task performance. Offering a cash incentive to meet a goal did not have an effect on any dependent variables. Finally, in an effort to examine whether more moderately-difficult goals might lead to optimal performance, Experiment 4 examined a broader range of goals. However, we did not see an effect of a moderately-difficult goal on any of the dependent variables. Although some of the experimental manipulations were effective in mitigating the vigilance decrement, none eliminated it. We discuss the theoretical implications of the results with regard to goal-setting theory and theories of vigilance. © 2021 American Psychological Association 
650 0 4 |a attention 
650 0 4 |a Attention 
650 0 4 |a Feedback 
650 0 4 |a feedback system 
650 0 4 |a Goals 
650 0 4 |a Goal-setting 
650 0 4 |a human 
650 0 4 |a Humans 
650 0 4 |a Mind-wandering 
650 0 4 |a motivation 
650 0 4 |a Motivation 
650 0 4 |a Motivation 
650 0 4 |a reward 
650 0 4 |a Reward 
650 0 4 |a Sustained attention 
650 0 4 |a Vigilance 
700 1 |a Brewer, G.A.  |e author 
700 1 |a Robison, M.K.  |e author 
700 1 |a Unsworth, N.  |e author 
773 |t Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance