Citation

Brown RL. Accid. Anal. Prev. 1978; 10(1): 51-60.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1978, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Operant psychology techniques have been used in the industrial community to alter quality control, production and employee performance. A number of articles have described their potential use in altering "safe" or "unsafe" behavior, however, no empirical research has been provided. The lack of research may be due to a misunderstanding of specific techniques.The article reviews basic operant principles and procedures leading to the development and use of a specific operant technique; the token economy system. A model system is provided with a hypothetical example of a safety problem. The reader is then led through the step-by-step process of identifying and altering a problem behavior. Current research programs on token economy systems in industry are also provided as supportive information.