A Preliminary Laboratory Evaluation: Effects of Consequence Quality and Ratio-Schedule Arrangements on Staff Performance

ABSTRACT

Supplementary, contingent pay arrangements can result in improved employee productivity and increased job satisfaction. We examined the effects of four stimulus delivery arrangements on performance in a computer-based task in a simulated work context. Three participants entered hypothetical client data onto a Microsoft Excel® invoice and earned gift-cards for task completion according to the following conditions: (a) fixed-ratio/high-preference stimuli (FR/HiP), (b) variable-ratio/high-preference stimuli (VR/HiP), (c) fixed-ratio/varied stimuli (FR/Var), and (d) variable-ratio/varied stimuli (VR/Var). For two of three participants varied reinforcers produced similar levels of responding to high-preference stimuli regardless of schedule type, whereas varied reinforcers did not support responding for the third participant. All participants preferred working under conditions of access to high-preference reinforcers. Results are discussed in light of creating efficient performance improvement plans in organizational settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Human operant
• pay for performance
• ratio schedule
• staff

Acknowledgments

We thank Laura Munoz for assistance with data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.