In this article we discuss how incentive motivations and task demands affect performance. We present a three-factor framework that suggests that performance is determined from the interaction of global incentives, local incentives, and the psychological processes needed to achieve optimal task performance. We review work that examines the implications of the motivation-cognition interface in classification, choice and on phenomena such as stereotype threat and performance pressure. We show that under some conditions stereotype threat and pressure accentuate performance. We discuss the implications of this work for neuropsychological assessment, and outline a number of challenges for future research.

In this article we discuss how incentive motivations and task demands affect performance. We present a three-factor framework that suggests that performance is determined from the interaction of global incentives, local incentives, and the psychological processes needed to achieve optimal task performance. We review work that examines the implications of the motivation–cognition interface in classification and choice and on phenomena such as stereotype threat and performance pressure. We show that, under some conditions, stereotype threat and pressure accentuate performance. We discuss the implications of this work for neuropsychological assessment and outline a number of challenges for future research.

contributed equally to this manuscript. This research was partially supported by McKnight Foundation funds awarded to Kathleen D. Vohs. The authors thank Sharon Shavitt for helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. Correspondence: Hakkyun Kim. 2 How do consumers react when they believe that a transaction partner will view them through the lens of a stereotype? We predicted and found that being aware of a negative stereotype about a group to which one belongs (e.g., gender) made consumers sensitive to whether service providers were ingroup versus outgroup members, and lowered purchase intentions when the provider was an outgroup member. We observed stereotype threat effects across diverse marketplace settings: financial services (experiment 1), automobile repairs (experiment 2), and automobile purchases (experiment 3). Furthermore, we found that reluctance to purchase from outgroup (versus ingroup) members was caused by heightened anxiety. The presence of a soothing scent, as a situational factor to alleviate anxiety, mitigated stereotype threat effects on marketplace decisions. 3 It is a fact of life that most social groups at times are associated with negative traits, such