ADHD Wiki
English

Reward pairing

Full page: about 3 min Draft — not yet reviewed by a human

Summary

  • Pair enjoyment with effort, such as listening to a favorite audiobook only while exercising.
  • Otherwise, try a small reward right after a short action.
  • Judge the pairing by whether actual activity increases; reassess after holidays or schedule disruptions.

Ways to apply

  1. On your own

    Free, no special equipment to buy

    1. Choose something with little immediate reward that you want to do more. Write down the exact action.
    2. Pick enjoyment that allows the task, such as saving a favorite audiobook for exercise.
    3. If pairing is impossible, reward a short action immediately, without waiting for project completion.
    4. Record how much you actually do and observe whether the pairing makes it easier to act.
    5. Retry after holidays or schedule disruptions. If activity does not increase, adjust the pairing.

An enjoyable activity can be reserved for the effortful task

Research-backed

Milkman and colleagues’ randomized experiment in a general gym-going population paired audiobooks with exercise: participants could listen only at the gym. Early in the experiment, this group visited the gym more often than the control group(Milkman et al., 2014).

It suggests trying enjoyment during action, such as listening to stories while exercising. The pairing is unsuitable if listening interferes with the task.

Rewards can follow a short stretch of action

Proposed in research

When two activities cannot happen together, a short stretch of action can be paired with an immediately available small reward. The reward need not wait until the entire project is finished.

Luman and colleagues reviewed studies of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Reinforcement arrangements improved task performance and motivation, and children preferred immediate to delayed rewards(Luman et al., 2005). Adults setting their own rewards is a suggested application of these findings; actual activity needs to increase.

A break in routine calls for reassessing the pairing

Research-backed

In the audiobook-and-exercise experiment, the initial effect weakened over time, particularly after Thanksgiving(Milkman et al., 2014).

On returning to a routine, actual activity can be reassessed. If activity does not increase, the pairing needs adjustment; continuing to enjoy the reward alone is no reason to keep it.

Evidence

References (2)
  1. Randomized trialHolding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym: An Evaluation of Temptation BundlingMilkman, Minson, Volpp (2014). Management Science
  2. ReviewThe impact of reinforcement contingencies on AD/HD: A review and theoretical appraisalLuman, Oosterlaan, Sergeant (2005). Clinical Psychology Review