Application of behavioral technology to small group discussion with university students

Tokens were given to university students in two separate experiments for participation in small group discussions. In the first experiment a multiple baseline design was used with two small groups in an educational psychology class. In the second, 10 small groups were assessed on group participation without and with a token condition. Results of the first experiment were inconclusive though favorable; the second experiment resulted in a significant difference (t=15.41; P<.001, df=77) in group participation when tokens were delivered contingent upon group participation. The results indicate that token technology can be an effective technique to increase small group participation when a variety of back-up reinforcers is offered. The results are discussed in terms of possible applications of token technology within a university setting.