Premium
Contingent versus noncontingent rewards for promoting seat belt usage
Author(s) -
Johnson Richard P.,
Geller E. Scott
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(198404)12:2<113::aid-jcop2290120203>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - seat belt , incentive , psychology , observational study , advertising , social psychology , business , engineering , economics , mathematics , statistics , automotive engineering , microeconomics
The seat‐belt wearing practices of automobile drivers were examined at two separate drive‐in locations of the same bank in a study of incentive strategies for promoting seat‐belt use. Drivers at one bank branch received informational prompts and a chance to win a prize regardless of seat‐belt usage. Drivers at the other branch received the same informational prompt and a chance to win a prize only if they were wearing a seat belt. Seat‐belt wearing increased initially as a function of the obtrusive observation procedures, as well as both noncontingent and contingent reward conditions. However, an analysis of belt usage with respect to sequential observation experiences per driver revealed that initial increases in belt wearing were not maintained after subsequent exposure to belt observation or to incentives that were not contingent upon belt wearing. However, with contingent rewards, record‐high levels of belt usage were obtained and maintained beyond the initial, transient increases which followed the observational procedures. Implications of this study for further research are discussed.