Figure 1.

(top) Overview of the motivation-cognition framework. When a global approach incentive is paired with a local approach incentive or when a global avoidance incentive is paired with a local avoidance incentive there is a match that leads to more flexible, exploratory cognitive processing. When a global approach incentive is paired with a local avoidance incentive or when a global avoidance incentive is paired with a local approach incentive there is a mismatch that leads to less flexibility and greater perseveration in cognitive processing. (middle left) Predicted performance when flexible, exploratory cognitive processing is optimal. Under these conditions a match is predicted to yield good performance, whereas a mismatch is predicted to yield poor performance. (middle right) Predicted performance when inflexible, perseverative cognitive processing is optimal. Under these conditions a mismatch is predicted to yield good performance, whereas a match is predicted to yield poor performance. (lower left) Predicted performance for a hypothetical situation in which an employee working in the Research and Development office in a widget factory needs to identify creative ways to make more widgets. The global incentive can be to obtain a bonus if a particular sales goal is met (approach incentive), or to be promised a bonus that can be lost if that sales goal is not met (avoidance incentive). The sales goal can be framed in terms of dollars in sales obtained (approach incentive) or in terms of dollars in potential sales lost (avoidance incentive). Because flexibility is advantageous, a match yields good performance whereas a mismatch yields poor performance. (lower right) Predicted performance for a hypothetical situation in which an employee working on the Production Line in a widget factory needs to persevere and continue to make widgets using a known procedure in an optimal fashion. The global incentive can be to obtain a bonus if a particular production goal is met (approach incentive), or to be promised a bonus that can be lost if that production goal is not met (avoidance incentive). The production goal can be framed in terms of widgets successfully produced (approach incentive) or in terms of defective widgets successfully avoided (avoidance incentive). Because perseverance (not flexibility) is advantageous, a mismatch yields good performance whereas a match yields poor performance.