An incentive is an external stimulus that pulls behavior toward a goal. Unlike a drive, which pushes from within, an incentive attracts from without.

Food is more attractive when one is hungry, yet the sight or smell of a preferred food can motivate eating even in the absence of strong deprivation. Money, praise, grades, and social recognition function as incentives across a wide range of human activities. Incentive value is not fixed; it depends on the individual’s current state, past experience, and expectations about the outcome.

Incentive theory complements drive-reduction theory by explaining why organisms seek stimulation and why the same need state can lead to different behaviors depending on the available rewards. In learning theory, incentives are the reinforcers that strengthen the behaviors that produce them. In everyday motivation, the anticipation of an incentive can sustain effort over long periods.

When behavior is drawn forward by the promise of a reward, an incentive is at work.