An Analysis of the Effects of a Self-Control Training Program on the Acquisition and Generalization of Social Behaviors in a Work Setting

Abstract

The primary purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of a self-control training program in facilitating the acquisition and generalization of two social behaviors. Specifically, the effects of a self-instructional training package in increasing the percentage of self-initiated contacts with the supervisor when employees run out of work materials and/or need assistance were examined across five subjects. The self-instructional package was comprised of verbal instruction, modeling, role-playing, corrective feedback, and social reinforcement. Generalized responding was assessed across settings and time.

The results indicate that self-instructional training was effective in increasing the frequency of target behaviors for all five subjects. Further, observational data and social validation data obtained from work supervisors revealed that the training resulted in generalized responding across settings for all five subjects and across time for four subjects (i.e., up to 13-wk). Additionally, an unexpected outcome for this investigation was data that suggested self-instructional training may produce generalization across responses.