Effects of social pressure on creative work and problem solving Motivation Factors – Effect of Public Observation on Creative Work. “The results showed…the average number of anagrams solved correctly found to be much higher in the private condition, compared with the public. There was no evidence of any gender difference in ability to solve anagrams, nor any evidence of differential [from]… social pressure.”
– Research Team, Working Paper No. 05-11, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. FED sponsored, MIT conducted study, Part 2, social-based incentives, factors in study included:
The experiment consisted of 26 trials, each consisting of one minute to solve three anagrams
10 private trials – all participants worked without being observed by anyone
16 public trials – one participant chosen at random worked in front of the entire group, using a larger version of the page
Results: 45% decline in puzzle solving rate by participants being publicly observed!. Click slide to see in context of slide deck
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