A comparison of standardized and group contingencies in a classroom setting

08/01/2025 | PAXIS Institute |

The applied use of group operant contingencies has proliferated in recent years creating the need for experimental comparisons of the many procedural variations possible. The present study compared the effects of two group contingencies (distinguished by the receipt of reward by all group members versus only the responders), standardized contingency, free reward, and request-only in influencing the submission of test questions by students in a college classroom. The group contingencies produced the highest levels of responding with the reward variable effecting a small but stable performance difference. The standardized contingencies generated a lower response level while the free-reward and request-only manipulations produced negligible responding. The results suggest that an “interdependent” group contingency which provides reward only to those who perform the target behavior is a superior procedure for behavior influence on a group level. Standardized contingencies may be the least effective of such procedures.

Citation: Speltz ML, Moore JE, & McReynolds WT. 1979. A comparison of standardized and group contingencies in a classroom setting. Behavior Therapy, 10, 219-226.

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