Courteous service: Its assessment and modification in a human service organization

We evaluated strategies to increase behaviors associated with courteous provision of service by 3 staff members of a human service agency. Training included written instructions, practice, and performance feedback. A lottery procedure was introduced to maintain courteous service after training. The results of a multiple baseline design across the 3 participants showed marked increases in courteous behaviors following training. These effects were maintained at 3-, 5-, and 8-month follow-ups. Consumers' satisfaction with service also increased. These findings suggest that simple training and reinforcement procedures can enhance courtesy afforded those who receive service from public and nonprofit organizations.     

PARENT REINFORCEMENT FOR CHILD ACHIEVEMENT: THE USE OF A LOTTERY TO MAXIMIZE PARENT TRAINING EFFECTS

This study describes and evaluates a reinforcement program in which parents earned lottery tickets and won prizes for the progress made by their handicapped children during home-based intervention. An ABAB reversal design replicated across three families was used to assess the effects of the lottery on the children's mastery of language skills. Results showed that the reinforcement of the parents for training accomplishments, as indexed by their children's achievements, produced clinically significant increases in the children's progress when compared with the children's progress under the routine supportive practices of the baseline condition. The implications of the findings for parent training programs in general are discussed.     

A company-based lottery to reduce the personal driving of employees

A company-based lottery was used to reduce the number of nonessential miles employees drove their personal cars each day and thereby save gasoline. Employees were divided into an experimental and a contrast group. The experimental design involved two conditions: (a) a baseline in which no consequences were attached to driving behavior, and (b) a month-long lottery in which the experimentals were rewarded for decreasing their percentage of average miles driven per day relative to their initial baseline average. The experimentals received an ABA order of conditions while the contrast group remained in baseline. The lottery condition consisted of four weekly lotteries and one grand drawing held at the end of the month. During the lottery condition, the experimentals reduced their average daily mileage by 11.6% relative to their initial baseline (7.85 miles per employee per day) while the contrast employees increased their average mileage by 21.2%. Both groups exceeded their initial baseline averages in the return to baseline. The study was almost cost-effective because the experimentals' gas savings ($75) was within $4 of the cost of motivating them to reduce their mileage ($79).     

The effects of questionnaire length and lottery ticket inducement on the response rate in mail surveys

Abstract

As part of a study on functional gastrointestinal disorders in the Australian community, we surveyed 500 subjects to test the effects of questionnaire length and lottery inducement on the response rate in mail surveys. By random allocation, n = 124 subjects received a short form questionnaire (28 pages) with a lottery ticket, n = 126 received a short form with no lottery ticket, n= 124 received a long form (32 pages) with a lottery ticket and n= 126 received a long form with no lottery ticket. The overall response rate for the study was 74%. The response rates for the short (76.8%) versus long (71.2%) form and lottery ticket (74.2%) versus no lottery ticket (73.8%) were not significantly different. Significantly more short forms compared with longer forms were received after each stage of the follow-up protocol. A long questionnaire can however be successfully used in survey research.     

彩民命运控制对问题购彩的影响:购彩预期和购彩意向的链式中介作用

为考察命运控制对彩民问题购彩的影响,以及购彩预期和购彩意向在其中的链式中介作用,本研究采用问卷法对2538名彩民进行调查。结果发现:(1)彩民问题购彩与命运控制、购彩预期和购彩意向均存在正相关;(2)命运控制不仅能直接预测问题购彩,还能通过两条路径的间接作用影响彩民的问题购彩:购彩意向的中介作用;购彩预期和购彩意向的链式中介作用。本研究构建的中介效应模型在一定程度上揭示了命运控制影响彩民问题购彩的内在机制。     

Elucidating the association of sports lottery bettors’ socio-demographics,personality traits,risk tolerance and behavioural biases

The goal of this study was to explore the psychological and socio-demographic factors of bettors that are associated with the herding behaviour of sports lotteries through a combination of interdisciplinary perspectives. The multidimensional instrument consisted of five-factor personality inventory, the measures of risk tolerance and two types of herding behaviours, betting patterns and socio-demographics was developed, and then nationwide on-site bettors (n = 1032) responded to the questionnaire to conduct a structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis through stratified proportional random sampling and quota sampling methods. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed that two structural models displayed goodness-of-fit with respect to the data. Empirical results confirmed the existence of herding behaviours and a gender difference in sports lottery betting. The bettors with neuroticism have lower risk tolerance, and the bettors with greater neuroticism, openness and agreeableness exhibit apparent normative herding behaviours. However, the risk tolerance has only a positively and significantly prediction for informational herding behaviour.     

The Relationship of Impulsiveness to Psychoticism and Extraversion in Elderly Psychiatric Patients

I conducted a correlational study to test the hypothesis that resource allocation outcomes become more favorable as uncertainty assessment accuracy (i.e., resolution and calibration) increases. For each of 32 college basketball games, participants predicted which team would win, estimated the subjective probability that their prediction was correct, and were given the opportunity to place a wager. The dependent variable was profit earned over the 32 bets. Proportion correct and mean certainty were controlled in the analyses. Results indicated that individuals with higher resolution scores earned significantly more profit than those with lower scores. Higher profits were also associated with better calibration.     

Sensitivity of children's behavior to probabilistic reward: effects of a decreasing-ratio lottery system on math performance

Probabilistic reward has been shown to affect children's choice behavior in game-like activities. We examined the effects of a lottery system containing progressively lower exchange ratios on children's completion of math problems. Two of the 3 children completed problems above baseline levels until the chance of exchange dropped to 25%. This study describes a potentially useful method for examining reinforcement schedules in applied settings and extends previous research on probabilities of reinforcement.