The effect of reward interdependence on cooperation and information-sharing intentions

Incentives are central to the reinforcement of behavior. In the context of group work, it is important to distinguish between individual and collective incentives as rewards. High reward interdependence should constitute an incentive for cooperation among group members (e.g., collective vs. individual financial rewards), but experimental studies provide no support for this assumption, whereas some field studies found an increase in information exchange and team productivity. In the two experimental studies presented here (N1 = 46, N2 = 28), high reward interdependence resulted in a higher willingness to share information with and to help other group members, stronger responses to the poor quality of others' work, higher preference for a group layout, and less withdrawal as a response to the reluctant commitment of others. The findings suggest that high reward interdependence can indeed act as an incentive for cooperative behavior and information sharing in an experimental setting as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract).