Keeping Drakes Party Store Clean

Excellent Student

4/9/06

Setting and Participant Description

• 4 male employees, all college students of various races, and 1 manager.

• Drake’s Party Store on the the corner of Drake and W. KL Ave.

Reason to Intervene

• Drake’s Party Store is having problems keeping the store clean.

• Night crew employees are not sorting, stacking, or boxing empty beer bottles.

Analyze the Natural Contingencies

• Employees are not fully cleaning because there are no current contingencies.

• The ineffective natural contingency and the natural competing contingency have outcomes that are too small and improbable to control behavior.

Analyze the Natural Contingencies

Ineffective Natural Contingency

Given amount of unfinished job tasks

Sort, box, and stack bottles

Infinitesimally higher amount of finished job tasks

Analyze the Natural Contingencies

Natural Competing Contingency

Given amount of time to chat

Sort, box, and stack bottles

Infinitesimally more time to chat

Specify the Performance Objectives

• Increase night crew employees daily tasks…

• Sorting

• Boxing

• And stacking bottles

•to 100% of the time!

Input-Process-Output Model

• (Employees sort, box, and stack bottles 100% of the time) [Output]

• Production: 50% Employee Discount

• (Employees do not sort, box, and stack bottles 100% of the time) [Input]

Design the Intervention

• The manager Joe White and I got together to devise an effective plan.

• After hours of pondering a light bulb went off.

• Broke college kids love saving money!

Design the Intervention Contd.

• An avoidance of loss PM contingency would be most effective

• The opportunity for a 50 % discount is the reinforcer.

• It is obtained by completing bottle tasks…

• 7 nights a week!

Design the InterventionThree Contingency Model of Performance

Management

Given level of unfinished job tasks

Sort, box, and stack bottles

Sort, box, and stack bottles

Sort, box, and stack bottles

Infinitesimally higher level of finished job tasks.

Will lose opportunity for 50% discount on Thursday

Will not lose opportunity for 50% discount on Thursday

SD: Every night by 2:00 am

Fear of loss of 50% discount

No fear of loss of 50% discount

Implement the Intervention

• A mandatory work meeting was called in place by the manager, Joe White…

• a verbal description of work expectations was delivered by Joe.

Implement the Intervention Contd.

• The following night was the start of test

• It will take 7 consecutive days of bottles fully done, and a handsome reward will come their way.

Evaluate the Intervention

• We started with a verbal rule from Joe...

• Finally, a 50 % discount for the employees on any item.

Ineffective!

• Then we gave feedback...

A little better

Goal Accomplished!

Evaluate the InterventionBottle Sorting

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Weeks

Day

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BaselineIntervention

Verbal Rule Feedback 50% Discount

Recycle-real or hypothetical?

• Hypothetically, my recycle would be simple…

• The discount would be rewarded after 1 month if bottles are done every day

Personal Experience• This was a wonderful experience!

• My manager was pleased with the results and wants to continue the intervention.

• This was a hands on learning experience that has enhanced my appreciation for behavioral analysis!

Questions or Comments???