A Preliminary Laboratory Evaluation: Effects of Consequence Quality and Ratio-Schedule Arrangements on Staff Performance
Rotating gift cards can maintain staff performance just as well as always using the top favorite.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Tudor et al. (2020) tested three staff members in a lab. They compared gift-card rewards on fixed-ratio and variable-ratio schedules.
Sometimes the workers got the same gift card every time. Other times the prize changed. The team tracked how fast and well the jobs got done.
What they found
Two of the three staff kept up the same good work even when the gift card switched. The change did not hurt their speed or quality.
This happened on both fixed-ratio and variable-ratio setups. A rotating prize can match the power of the top-choice card.
How this fits with other research
Findley et al. (1965) first showed that breaking big ratios with tokens keeps chimps working. Tudor brings that idea to human staff with gift cards.
Van Houten et al. (1980) found variable-ratio tokens cut disruption and raised attention in deaf students. Tudor sees the same steady output with adults.
de Carvalho et al. (2018) saw rats cooperate more under VR than FR. Tudor echoes this: VR gift cards keep staff moving without extra cost.
Why it matters
You no longer need to buy the one favorite gift card every week. Rotate cheaper or easier-to-get prizes and keep the same work rate. This saves money and still meets ratio requirements. Try it in your next staff incentive plan.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Supplementary, contingent pay arrangements can result in improved employee productivity and increased job satisfaction. We examined the effects of four stimulus delivery arrangements on performance in a computer-based task in a simulated work context. Three participants entered hypothetical client data onto a Microsoft Excel® invoice and earned gift-cards for task completion according to the following conditions: (a) fixed-ratio/high-preference stimuli (FR/HiP), (b) variable-ratio/high-preference stimuli (VR/HiP), (c) fixed-ratio/varied stimuli (FR/Var), and (d) variable-ratio/varied stimuli (VR/Var). For two of three participants varied reinforcers produced similar levels of responding to high-preference stimuli regardless of schedule type, whereas varied reinforcers did not support responding for the third participant. All participants preferred working under conditions of access to high-preference reinforcers. Results are discussed in light of creating efficient performance improvement plans in organizational settings.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 2020 · doi:10.1080/01608061.2020.1715318