The use of feedback and delayed praise to increase participation in a group activity

An intervention package consisting of immediate feedback, delayed social reinforcement, and early access to free time was designed and implemented in an attempt to increase the participation of eight 4-year-old nursery school students in a group activity session. The effects of the intervention were evaluated by means of a single subject withdrawal design (ABAB). Participation in the group activity averaged only 48.2% during the baseline phase, but increased to a mean of 64.3% when the feedback and praise conditions were introduced. When feedback and praise were withdrawn, participation decreased to 47.7%, but reintroduction of the experimental conditions resulted in an even larger increase in participation, to a mean of 79.2%. In addition, the occurrence of inappropriate verbalizations decreased from 25.2% during baseline to only 7.2% during the final experimental phase, even though they were not directly consequated.