A dynamic control approach to studying the effectiveness of rewards in inducing behavior and attitude change

People use a variety of techniques to influence the attitudes and behaviors of others. One of the most overt techniques involves the use of a reward. To provide a concrete example, this paper considers the scenario in which a child has a negative attitude towards practicing piano, and the parents of the child offer a financial reward to induce a change in attitude and behavior of the child. By combining three psychological tools (namely, the theory of planned behavior, the induced compliance paradigm of cognitive dissonance theory, and the overjustification effect), we develop a dynamic feedback model that captures how the parents´ attempt to control the child affects both his attitude and behavior. We then use the model to develop two control schemes, one that focuses on inducing an immediate behavioral change in the child, and the other that focuses on inducing maximum attitude change which, in turn, leads to a behavioral change.