Schedule control with a synchronous reinforcement treadmill preparation: A replication and extension
High-preference music can reliably control treadmill walking speed under mixed schedules, offering an easy lever for health exercise programs.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Baruni et al. (2025) asked adults to walk on a treadmill while music played.
The music started only when the person walked at the target speed.
A five-part mixed schedule switched the rule every few minutes.
All walkers were neurotypical and worked in a university lab.
What they found
High-preference music controlled speed for about seven in ten people.
When the music stopped, most walkers slowed down or sped up.
Their steps showed clear schedule control, not steady habits.
How this fits with other research
Rapp et al. (2025) ran the same treadmill set-up but added low-preference songs.
Both high and low-preference tracks worked, so feel matters less than timing.
Fine et al. (2005) saw the same boost with favorite toys tied to walker steps in clients with multiple disabilities.
Chang et al. (2016) later used an air-mouse on a student’s leg to deliver cartoons for each step.
Across labs, the rule is simple: tie a liked event to each step and walking grows.
Why it matters
You can use any liked stimulus, not just songs, to shape movement.
Try pairing music, videos, or brief games with steps during physical goals.
The mixed schedule keeps the client guessing, so the step-reinforcer link stays strong.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Pinkston et al. (2024) provided 17 participants with their high-preference music for increasing and decreasing their walking speeds on a treadmill. The results showed that high-preference music produced schedule control of walking speed for 14 of 17 (82.35%) participants. In addition, Pinkston et al. found that 78.57% of participants whose walking showed schedule control also displayed variable responding during an extinction component. As an extension of Pinkston et al., we presented 25 participants with their high-preference music for walking on a treadmill during a five-component mixed schedule wherein the synchronous reinforcement components contained larger and nonoverlapping bands for contacting the synchronous reinforcer. Schedule control emerged for 18 of 25 (72%) participants. In addition, 14 (77.78%) participants whose behavior showed schedule control also displayed considerable variability in walking speed during the extinction component. Implications and future research directions for promoting health-related behaviors are discussed.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2025 · doi:10.1002/jaba.70008