Educational Strategies to increase children's use of safety belts: Are extrinsic rewards necessary?

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Abstract
A series of five 30 min educational activities to promote children's use of safety belts was evaluated during summer recreation programs at three schools. Safety belt use by the target children (aged 5–11 years) and their parents was unobtrusively observed before, during, and after the program was delivered. At one school, children received prizes for being buckled up in their vehicles after an intervention activity; at another school, children received the same rewards for participating in the educational activities; and at the third school, children received the prizes at the beginning of each activity, without any stated response contingency. The children rewarded for participating in the activities scored significantly higher on participation indices, but the rewards for safety belt use did not increase the beneficial effects of the educational curriculum, which were significant for both children and parents. The recording of vehicle license plate numbers enabled the pairing of children with their parents and the identification of these pairs at another community site. This procedure showed immediate stimulus generalization but limited response maintenance.

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