A Preliminary Evaluation of a Human Service Delivery Simulation

Abstract

The present study consists of two experiments designed to assess whether a human service delivery simulation would reproduce common staff management findings. The simulation involved a laboratory preparation with college students serving as staff implementing a procedure to maintain discriminated lever pressing by mice. Experiment 1 reproduced the temporary increase in correct implementation with a staff training program. Experiment 2 reproduced high levels of correct implementation with a staff management program of performance pay. In addition, both experiments reproduced the low levels of correct implementation in the absence of staff training and staff management. Reproducing these three common findings suggests that introducing novel procedures under this preparation would predict similar effects in an actual human service setting.