Positive Reinforcement for Submission of Timely Reports by Professional Staff in a Residential Facility

Abstract

Professional staff at a public residential facility received positive reinforcement for submission of timely evaluation reports. Reinforcement was preceded and followed by baseline conditions during which the organization collected and reported data on timeliness. Members of 4 interdisciplinary teams were subjects of the ABA design; members of 9 remaining teams remained under baseline conditions throughout the study. Reinforced professionals increased their percentage of timely reports, relative to nonreinforced colleagues, during the reinforcement phase and reached the organizational goal; performance deteriorated following withdrawal of reinforcement. There were no systematic changes among baseline-only subjects. Possible reasons for failing to maintain reinforcement, and implications of such failure, are discussed.