Using synchronous reinforcement to increase mask wearing in young children: A replication and extension

Leslie and her team worked with six preschoolers. They wanted to see if synchronous reinforcement could get the kids to keep masks on for 30 minutes.

Synchronous means the child got a small treat and praise right when the mask went on. No waiting until the end of the half-hour.

All six children wore their masks for the full 30 minutes once the synchronous schedule started. The skill stuck around when they moved into their regular classroom. It also held up during all-day checks with the few kids who were tested that long.

McHugh et al. (2022) first showed the trick works. They used telehealth to coach staff working with adults who have intellectual disabilities. Leslie et al. (2024) copied the same synchronous plan, just swapped preschoolers for adults.

Diaz de Villegas et al. (2020) and Diaz de Villegas et al. (2024) proved synchronous beats saving all the goodies until the end when the goal is on-task behavior. Leslie’s team now shows the schedule also works when the target is health behavior—mask wearing.

Gomes et al. (2025) took the idea further. They used one synchronous group contingency for an entire elementary class. The positive results there line up with Leslie’s single-child data, hinting the schedule scales up nicely.

You can add mask wearing to the list of preschool skills that yield to synchronous reinforcement. Put the edible or toy in the child’s hand the moment the mask is on, then keep praise flowing during the session. Start in a quiet training room, then probe in the classroom and at snack time to check the skill holds. The whole protocol needs no extra staff—just you, a timer, and a bag of small reinforcers.