The following conditions were successively instituted on the experimental bus (the 11:00 a.M. To 2:00 p.M. Daily operation of a campus bus): baseline, variable ratio 3 token reinforcement (every thirdpassenger, on the average, received a token worth about 10 cents for boarding the bus), continuous token reinforcement (every passengerreceived a token), variable ratio 3 token reinforcement, and baseline. Compared to the experimental controls, experimental bus ridership increased significantly during token reinforcement manipulations. There was no difference in the effects of variable ratio 3 and continuous token reinforcement. The results suggest that compared to continuous token reinforcement, intermittent token reinforcement may provide a viable and economical approach to increasing bus ridership.(A)
Abstract