Effects of task difficulty and type of contingency on students' allocation of responding to math worksheets.
Fourth graders pick accuracy pay for easy math and speed pay for hard math, so let them switch mid-session.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave fourth graders two ways to earn points while doing math worksheets. Kids could pick accuracy-based pay: more points for more right answers. Or they could pick time-based pay: more points for finishing fast.
The worksheets came in two levels: easy and hard. The class ran through several ABAB cycles so each child tried both pay plans on both levels.
What they found
Most kids stayed with accuracy pay when the sheet was easy. When the sheet turned hard, the same kids flipped and chose time pay. One child showed no clear pick on hard sheets.
In short, difficulty drove the switch. Easy math made accuracy attractive. Hard math made speed attractive.
How this fits with other research
Quilitch et al. (1973) ran a classroom token economy for reading accuracy and saw gains stick even when students managed it. Matson et al. (2004) move the lens from teacher-set contingencies to student choice, showing kids actively shop for the pay plan that feels best at the moment.
Udhnani et al. (2025) found that adults follow rules tied to richer reinforcement. The fourth graders did the same: they followed the rule that paid better for the task in front of them, echoing the lab result in a real classroom.
Méndez (2024) pitted competing rules against each other and showed richer schedules win. The math study mirrors this: when accuracy got too costly on hard sheets, kids jumped to the time rule that still delivered points.
Why it matters
You already adjust prompts and prompts fade; now adjust the pay plan. Offer accuracy points for skills the child finds easy to keep quality high. Offer speed points for new or tough skills to keep momentum and avoid escape. Watch the child, not the clipboard—when errors rise, give permission to race the clock instead.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study investigated students' allocation of responding as a function of task difficulty and type of reinforcement contingency (i.e., accuracy based or time based). Four regular education fourth-grade students were presented with two identical stacks of easy and then difficult math worksheets using a reversal design. Regardless of condition, completing problems from each stack of worksheets was reinforced according to a different contingency; one required correct completion of math problems (accuracy based) and one required on-task behavior (time based). Results suggested that 3 of the 4 students preferred the accuracy-based contingency when given easy material and the time-based contingency when given difficult material. One student allocated more responding to the accuracy-based contingency when given easy problems but did not show a clear preference for either contingency with difficult problems. The implications of these findings for designing reinforcement-based programs for tasks of varying difficulty are discussed.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2004 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2004.37-53