Noncontingent reward magnitude effects on reaction time: A replication and extension

Abstract

Stillings, Allen, & Estes (1968) have demonstrated a facilitating effect of reward magnitude upon reaction time even if the reward was not contingent upon the reaction time. Their study showed anomalous results for the control group, however. They suggested that these anomalous results were due to their experimental group having a cognitive task to perform while the control group did not. Our study added a control group which did have a cognitive task (remembering a number) to perform. We replicated Stillings et al’s noncontingent reward magnitude effect, but did not replicate the anomalous control group results. In addition, we found that the magnitude of a number to be remembered retards reaction time. Several explanations for this latter result are examined and discarded. © 1974, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.