A young woman with moderate mental retardation was involved in a vocational training experience in the food service section of a hospital kitchen. For one aspect of her job performance (i.e., stripping breakfast trays), an on-the-job coach provided graphic feedback on her speed. A changing criterion design was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the graphic feedback procedures in increasing her speed from an unacceptable level to the rate required for competitive employment. Program effectiveness was also measured through a social validation questionnaire involving co-workers.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BatesP., RenzagliaA., & CleesT. (1980). Improving the work performance of severely/profoundly retarded young adults: The use of a changing criterion procedural design. Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded, 15, 95–104.
2.
ChaffinJ. D. (1969). Production rate as a variable in the job success or failure of educable mentally retarded adolescents. Exceptional Children, 35, 533–538.
3.
HartmannD. P., & HallR. V. (1976). The changing criterion design. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 9, 527–532.
4.
JensK. G., & ShoresR. E. (1969). Behavioral graphs as reinforcers for work behavior of mentally retarded adolescents. Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded, 4, 21–27.
5.
KazdinA. E. (1977). Assessing the clinical or applied importance of behavior change through social validation. Behavior Modification, 1, 427–452.
6.
KellerJ., KennedyK., & KochanyL. (1980). Maintaining the employability of a severely retarded food service worker. Use of a changing criterion program. In WehmanP. & HillM. (Eds.), Vocational training and placement of severely disabled persons. Project Employability (Vol. 2). Richmond, VA: Virginia Commonwealth University.
7.
RuschF. R. (1979). Toward the validation of social/vocational survival skills. Mental Retardation, 17, 143–145.
8.
RuschF. R., ConnisR. T., & SowersJ. (1978). The modification and maintenance of time spent attending using social reinforcement, token reinforcement, and response cost in an applied restaurant setting. Journal of Special Education Technology, 2, 18–26.
9.
RuschF. R., & SchutzR. P. (1979). Non-sheltered competitive employment of the mentally retarded adult: Research to reality?Journal of Contemporary Business, 8, 85–98.
10.
RuschF. R., WeithersJ. A., MenchettiB. M., & SchutzR. P. (1980). Social validation of a program to reduce topic repetition in a nonsheltered setting. Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded, 15, 208–215.
11.
WhiteS., & KennedyK. (1980). Improving the work productivity of a mentally retarded woman in a city resturant. In WehmanP. & HillM. (Eds.), Vocational training and placement of severely disabled persons. Project Employability (Vol. 2). Richmond, VA: Virginia Commonwealth University.
12.
WolfM. M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is finding its heart. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11, 203–214.
