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We used a contingent acoustical feedback procedure to increase appropriate walking and decrease toe walking exhibited by a young boy with autism. After a pre-treatment screening assessment suggested that toe walking was maintained by automatic reinforcement, we paired an auditory stimulus (i.e., a clicking sound) with access to a preferred item to establish the sound as a conditioned reinforcer. Next, we delivered acoustical feedback contingent upon appropriate walking on a continuous schedule. We then thinned the delivery of acoustical feedback to a fixed ratio 8 schedule and eventually discontinued delivery altogether. Finally, we conducted two generalization probes (one pre-treatment and one post-treatment) in another setting. The results suggest that the contingent acoustical feedback procedure was effective to increase appropriate walking and decrease toe walking.

We examined the effects of 2 payment systems on the rate of check processing and time spent on task by participants in a simulated work setting. Three participants experienced individual pay-for-performance (PFP) without base pay and pay-for-time (PFT) conditions. In the last phase, we asked participants to choose which system they preferred. For all participants, the PFP condition produced higher rates of check processing and more time spent on task than did the PFT condition, but choice of payment system varied both within and across participants. (Contains 2 figures.)