Are there any Implementations of Secure Indexes?

Do studies about incentives based on numerical indexes to improve mental activities exists?

• I listened some speeches about numerical indexes [1] to improve the activity in some contexts, and i started to think if similar indexes, that keep track of the user effort over time, can be applied also to more complex mental activities like study. I'm doing some test on myself (borrowing some ideas from well known online games), setting up simple numerical indexes that fit my feeling about "my effort" to keep track of it over time, and the results are positive for study, reading, and so on (even running!). I get a good boost to do better or more with those. Anyway, is it only a technique that works for me or can work in general? Are there studies about the effectiveness of track own effort by numerical indexes? Questions that seems slightly related: (here i'm talking about numerical incentives in general, not only money. Moreover i think as personal incentives, without any challenge with others since they should boost your activity, while with challenges we can try to boost our score with any regard to the activity) Useful feedbacks: In the comments linked a good video about motivation in mental activities and money. It's somehow related to the question but i ask about indexes to track the effort, not money (that can be a numerical index, but not so feasible like abastract numbers). [1] Mainly through the gamification topic, some sources:

• Answer:

  That's a complex question. First, we do already have a numerical system in place, they are called grades. And then there are all the http://www.enterprise-gamification.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Category%3AScores, think SAT scores. What they typically miss is the continuity. You only get them at the end of the class, but you never know how you are doing during the semester or class. That's why Lee Sheldon in his book "The Multiplayer Classroom" introduces a kind of a level system. Everyone starts at F. In order to get to A, the students need to gather points and complete missions. That suddenly turns into a more manageable task with more immediate feedback than the typical classroom situation does. Second: Uri Gneezy talks in his book "The Why Axis" about incentive systems for students. It's not just the students, it's also the parents and teachers that he incentivizes in his field research. He actually uses monetary rewards. And it has an impact depending on whether they get the reward before (and can lose it if they don't perform) or after the accomplishment. Third: you may want to avoid to use those "numerical indexes" in a http://www.enterprise-gamification.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Competition-setting in mental activities such as learning or where you need creativity. Competition tends to inhibit learning or creativity. There are quite a number of studies out there talking about that, as well as use cases, such as these: http://www.enterprise-gamification.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Microsoft_Stack_Ranking http://www.enterprise-gamification.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=The_Collapse_of_Law_Firm_Dewey_%26_LeBoeuf Generally such "numerical indexes" as you call them are nothing else than http://www.enterprise-gamification.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Category%3AExtrinsic_motivator but you have to see that they tie in with http://www.enterprise-gamification.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Category%3AIntrinsic_motivator. Scores give you feedback on how well you are doing right now to reach a larger goal, an epic meaning. In combination they can be very powerful. I've researched quite a number of papers and books and compiled that in my recently published book http://www.amazon.com/Enterprise-Gamification-Engaging-people-letting/dp/1470000644/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_2. That is probably the single best source to read up on that issue.