A drop in the bucket: when is a pay raise a pay raise?
研究通过心理物理学方法，在192名学生样本中发现，加薪幅度低于约7%时，员工很难将其视为真正的加薪，从而不会产生积极的感知和态度反应。
Although merit pay continues to receive much theoretical and practical attention, little systematic effort is devoted to determining how large a pay raise must be before employees see it as a pay raise. This study uses psychophysical reasoning and techniques in a sample of 192 student ‘employees’ to establish the size of pay raise thresholds in a relatively controlled setting. Results indicate that, below about the 7 per cent level, increases in pay amounts are unlikely to evoke positive perceptual and attitudinal reactions among employees. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of these results are highlighted. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.