Self-monitoring and work productivity with mentally retarded adults.
We examined the use of self-monitoring to increase the productivity of five mentally retarded adults in a sheltered workshop. Data were collected daily during a 30-minute intervention and 30-minute generalization period. Following baseline, verbal praise, prompts, and physical encouragement were administered contingent on productive behavior on a specific task during the intervention period. In the next phase, self-monitoring was trained during the intervention period. During both phases, baseline conditions prevailed in the generalization periods. In the final phase, self-monitoring was extended across the intervention and generalization periods. Results showed that increased productivity levels, evident when praise and prompting were being administered, maintained with self-monitoring alone. Minimal generalization across time was observed until self-monitoring was begun in the generalization period.
D000328:Adult; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000379:methods*; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012759:Sheltered Workshops; D014937:Work