On the Wondrous Behaviour of Rats and Researchers

摘要

This paper deals with the connection between effortand rewards, regarding the optimal behaviour of the agents involved. Thecontext is that in which a subject is required to perform a costly task and isrewarded with a prize when the task is performed properly. We provide here asimple model that explains why reducing the reward associated with a costlytask may induce a higher effort. This is an experimental observation of the behaviourof rats in the lab, but it also appears in other mammals (e.g. researchers).