Effects of reinforcer magnitude on data-entry productivity in chronically unemployed drug abusers participating in a therapeutic workplace

The Therapeutic Workplace is a substance abuse treatment wherein patients are hired and paid to work in a job contingent on daily drug-free urine samples, The present study examined data-entry productivity of 6 unemployed methadone patients who demonstrated relatively variable and low data-entry response rates. A within-subject reversal design was used to determine whether increasing reinforcement magnitude tenfold could increase response rates. Four of the 6 participants showed the highest rates of responding in the high magnitude reinforcement condition. Two participants, who had the lowest overall response rates, showed less robust changes to the magnitude manipulation. The results suggest that reinforcement magnitude can be used to improve productivity in Therapeutic Workplace participants.