THE EFFECTS OF REWARD ON CREATIVE PERFORMANCE IN COLLECTIVISTS AND INDIVIDUALISTS

Abstract The current study investigated the effect of rewards on creative performance in individualists and collectivists. Participants were randomly divided into three conditions (Task-Contingent, Performance-Contingent, or No Reward). Participants in the Task-Contingent condition were instructed that a reward would be given based on the completion of a collage. Participants in the Performance-Contingent condition were told a reward would be given based on the creativity of the collage. There were no significant main effects of group or reward, and no significant interaction. Correlational analysis showed no significant relationships between Individualism or Collectivism and creativity, technical skill, or the extent to which the collages were representative of Western Culture. Further studies may find it beneficial to implement a larger sample size and specificity of reward, goals, and criteria for creativity.