The effect of Vicarious Reinforcement on Performance in A Rehabilitation Setting

The effect of reinforcement (praise) of one subject on the performance of an adjacent subject was studied in two separate experiments with four moderately retarded adults enrolled in a sheltered workshop. Work rate on subcontract jobs was used as the target response. Experiment I demonstrated that reinforcing a subject (Mary) for fast work rates increased performance in an adjacent subject (Nan). Direct reinforcement of Nan increased her performance even further. After a reversal of conditions, reinforcement for Mary for slow work rates increased the performance of Nan. Experiment II replicated the effects of reinforcement of a target subject (Norm) on an adjacent subject (Dave). Reinforcement for either fast work or slow work delivered to Norm resulted in increased performance for Dave. The results from both subject pairs showed that the behavior of an adjacent subject improves when a target subject is reinforced. However, the reinforcement for the target subject need not be contingent upon the precise behavior that is altered in an adjacent subject. These findings were interpreted in terms of the cue value of praise rather than modeling effects or vicarious reinforcement per se. The implications for the use of vicarious reinforcement in educational and rehabilitation settings are discussed.