Glossary
Material incentive (behavior)
What is a material incentive for behavior?
A material incentive for behavior is a promise of money, vouchers, or another valued object in return for effort or progress in performing a behavior.
Scope and distinctions
An incentive is the advance statement of the condition. Delivering the object is a material reward. Rewarding an outcome rather than the behavior belongs to a different category.
Illustrative example
A program announces that participants will receive a voucher after completing an agreed training session.
Evidence and limits
The original BCT Taxonomy v1 definitions specify this as technique 10.1. The category tells us what was promised and what someone had to do to earn it. Whether that promise changes behavior, and whether the change lasts after it ends, are separate questions.