Two randomly selected groups of 30 adults each were asked to write short stories on a particular topic  One group was told that the best stories would be awarded cash prizes, while the other group was not told of any prizes  Each story was evaluated by a team of judges who were given no indication of the group from which the story came
The stories submitted by those who thought they were competing for prizes were ranked on average significantly lower than the stories from the other group
People writing to win prizes show a greater than usual tendency to produce stereotypical stories that show little creativity.