Reduction of children's locomotor activity by modeling and the promise of contingent reward.

Abstract

Sixty children aged 4 and 5 were observed in an open field situation under instructions to stay in one part of a playroom and to play with a single toy of their choice during an initial 15-minute period. They were then placed for 5 minutes in an adjacent observation room and exposed to 1 of 5 different experimental conditions. Subjects in the modeling conditions observed an adult male sitting in one distinctive part of the playroom and playing with Tinker Toys. Subjects in the enriched modeling condition also saw the model receive reward for his subdued behavior and heard him verbalize reasons for his actions. Subjects in nonmodeling conditions merely observed the empty playroom during the 5 minutes. Finally, all subjects were observed in the playroom for a second 15-minute session. Children in the reinforcement conditions were now promised pennies for staying in one part of the room and playing with a single toy of their choice. Both modeling and the promise of contingent reward resulted in a reduction of locomotor activity and a reduction of toy-switching behavior, though the effects of these variables did not combine in an additive way. Enriched modeling had an additional effect on toy-switching behavior only. Males spent more time in the modeled quadrant than did females. The results were interpreted as support for the importance of modeling and reinforcement in children's compliance with instructions.