A group-oriented contingency to increase leisure activities of adults with traumatic brain injury.

Silverman et al. (1994) tested a team reward system in a group home for adults with traumatic brain injury. Six residents earned a shared prize if the whole group hit a daily leisure-minute goal. Staff posted a bar chart in the living room so everyone could see progress.

The study ran in a real group home. Leisure meant games, puzzles, or walks. No extra staff were hired.

Four of the six adults quickly doubled their free-time activity. The public chart helped them cheer each other on. Two residents barely changed; the group reward alone was not enough for them.

Lutzker et al. (1979) did the same idea fifteen years earlier. Their "Good Productivity Game" doubled work output in a rehab workshop. Together the papers show a group contingency can boost both work and play in adult residential settings.

Fuhrmann-Knowles et al. (2024) later swept the whole adult group-contingency literature. Their review includes the 1994 TBI study and says the method works across behaviors and places.

Christopher et al. (1991) looks like a clash at first. They taught social skills in a group home with no prizes at all. The difference is the goal: S taught new moves with the Sorry board game, while K paid for minutes played. Both raised engagement, just with different tools.

You can run a group contingency tomorrow without new staff or money. Post the goal, pick a shared reward, and chart progress where everyone sees it. Check each resident's data; if someone does not respond, add individual supports. This keeps the team spirit while protecting the outliers.