THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE USE OF THE OPERANT CONDITIONING STRATEGIES OF PUNISHMENT AND POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT IN REDUCING ABSENTEEISM: A FIELD QUASI-EXPERIMENT

MICHAEL LOUIS MENEFEE, Purdue University

Abstract

This quasi-experiment in the field was designed to achieve three primary goals. The three major goals of this study were: (1) to explore the relationship between environmental variables and absenteeism, (2) to explore the effectiveness of the operant conditioning strategies of punishment and positive reinforcement in reducing absenteeism, and (3) to explore the relationship between the punishment and positive reinforcement operant consequences and affective outcomes such as satisfaction. The study was done using three groups of 25 subjects at three different locations of the same organization. Pre-treatment absence data was collected for 77 days and pre-treatment questionnaire data was collected near the end of this period. For the next 77 days, one group of subjects was placed under a positive reinforcement operant strategy in which attendance on certain unannounced days resulted in a promise of monetary gain. One group of subjects, during this treatment period, was placed under a punishment operant strategy in which absenteeism on certain unannounced days resulted in a promise of monetary loss. The third group of subjects in the study served as a no treatment control group. During this treatment period, manipulation checks were performed twice in the treatment groups, the original questionnaire was readministered to all subjects, and absence data was collected. Using four absence measures in both the pre-treatment and treatment periods, very few of the questionnaire variables showed any relationship to absenteeism. The only satisfaction variable found to be related to absenteeism was policy satisfaction. No job scope variables were found to be related to absenteeism. Only road conditions and personal health of the seventeen ability to attend and demographic variables were found to be related to absenteeism. Most of the significant relationships found between environmental variables and absenteeism were found for the instrumentality and valence items relating to internal and external pressures to attend. When exploring the effectiveness of the operant conditioning strategies of punishment and positive reinforcement in reducing absenteeism, it was found that both strategies significantly reduced absenteeism when compared to their pre-treatment periods and to the control group in the treatment period. This study did, however, fail to support the contention that positive reinforcement is superior to punishment in reducing absenteeism in that no significant differences between the two treatment groups could be found. Thus, both operant strategies were shown to be effective in reducing absenteeism. When exploring the relationship between the punishment and positive reinforcement operant consequences and affective outcomes such as satisfaction, it was found that the positive reinforcement group was significantly higher in policy satisfaction in the treatment period when compared to their pre-treatment period and to the control group in the treatment period; while, the punishment group was significantly lower in policy satisfaction for the same comparisons. These findings indicate that the positive reinforcement consequences can produce positive affective outcomes; while, punishment consequences can produce negative affective outcomes. It should be noted that analyses using supervision satisfaction and pay satisfaction failed to produce any significant differences between the groups. Two different models were also supported by this research. Evidence was found for the operant model where consequences influence behavior (absenteeism) and the expectency where treatment influences instrumentalities and instrumentalities influence behavior (absenteeism).

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Management

COinS