REWARDING PSYCHIATRIC AIDES FOR THE BEHAVIORAL IMPROVEMENT OF ASSIGNED PATIENTS¹

Abstract

Different ways of modifying the aide-patient relationship to promote improvement in psychiatric patients were investigated. Psychiatric aides were given information about the behavior of assigned patients, cash awards based on the improvement of assigned patients, and different kinds of supervision by the psychology staff; the effects of these variables on a large number of psychiatrically relevant behaviors were measured. Appropriate behavior of patients increased when the aides were given quantitative information about the improvement of assigned patients. Cash awards for aides, which were not contingent on the behavior of patients had little effect, while cash awards contingent on the behavior of assigned patients were associated with more appropriate behavior. Direct supervision of aide-patient interactions was associated with an increase in appropriate behavior, while required consultation for the aides about assigned patients was not. Behavior of patients deteriorated when the program was terminated.

An Analysis of Public Posting in Reducing Speeding Behavior on an Urban Highway

“…One technique that has been successful in producing changes in other areas is public posting of performance. For example, public posting has been successfully used to improve the performance of psychiatric aides and attendants (Panyan, Boozer, & Morris, 1970;Pomerleau, Bobrove, & Smith, 1973;Quilitch, 1975), swimmers (McKenzie & Rushall, 1974), tutors (Barnard, Christophersen, & Wolf, 1974), and elementary school children (Van Houten, Hill, & Parsons, 1975;Van Houten, Morrison, Jarvis, & McDonald, 1974;Van Houten & Van Houten, 1977). The purpose of the present experiment is to determine whether public posting of driver performance can reduce speeding in a residential area.…”

GENERALIZATION OF PARENT‐TRAINING RESULTS1

“…In Experiment I it was found that a brief demonstration of how to teach an autistic child new behaviors was sufficient to teach parents how to teach those children those behaviors. However (Gardner, 1972;Hall, 1972;Katz, Johnson, and Gelfand, 1972;Paul, McInnis, and Mariotto, 1973); the use of verbal or written feedback (Cooper, Thomson, and Baer, 1970;Cossairt, Hall, and Hopkins, 1973; Gage 1963; Panyon, Boozer, and Morris, 1970;McNamara, 1971); the use of social reinforcement (Brown, Montgomery, and Barclay, 1969;McDonald, 1973); the use of token reinforcement (Breyer and Allen, Note 1; Bricker, Morgan, and Grabowski, 1972;Katz et al, 1972;McNamara, 1971;Pomerleau, Bobrove, and Smith, 1973); and the use of modelling procedures (Engelin, Knutson, Laughy, and Garlington, 1968;Ringer, 1973 (SPRING 1978(SPRING ) 1978 …”

Staff Management By Behavioral Contracting

“…To assure employee performance in conducting these effective training programs in large institutions, special employee motivation methods have been required as noted in one of the earliest descriptions of an institutional program in which the employees were given job privileges as reinforcement for meeting the standards of employee performance (Ayllon & Azrin, 1968). Systematic studies have since been conducted showing that employee absenteeism can be reduced (Stephens & Burroughs, 1978;Pedalino & Gamboa, 1974;Shoemaker & Reid, 1980), job performance increased (Pommer & Streedbeck, 1974;Patterson, Griffin, & Panyan, 1976;Hollander & Plutchik, 1972) and staff-patient interaction increased (Iwata, Bailey, Brown, Foshee & Aldern, 1976;Buel & Born, 1977;Pomerleau, Bobrove, & Smith, 1973).…”