have been some studies which have specifically focused on determining the effects of praise/recognition on employee motivation. To add context and focus to the proposed research, these studies can be reviewed here.
In one fairly unusual study of the effects of praise on motivation, Eisenstein (1983) conducted a study designed to examine whether social reinforcement for on-task behavior in a simulated work activity would increase achievement motivation, work interest, and simulated work activity production in a psychiatric population; the presumption here was that if social reward (praise) could increase work motivation in this setting, it could clearly increase it in a regular work setting.
Subjects in the study consisted of 45 male chronic psychiatric patients (mean age 43 years). Subjects were randomly assi
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