Effectiveness of pay incentives under variable ratio and continuous reinforcement schedules

Abstract

Investigated the effectiveness of 2 variable ratio and 1 crf payment schedule(s) on the performance of 15 female undergraduates in a simulated job situation. Production for the 3 groups was compared to test hypotheses derived from instrumentality theory and the operant conditioning literature. Results fail to support instrumentality theory. Pay incentives were more effective in motivating increased production when used with a variable ratio schedule than with a crf schedule. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)