A Systematic Review and Quantitative Analysis of Interteaching.

Interteaching is a behavioral teaching method that departs from the traditional lecture format (Boyce & Hineline in BA 25:215-226, 2002). We updated and expanded previous interteaching reviews and conducted a meta-analysis on its effectiveness. Systematic searches identified 38 relevant studies spanning the years 2005-2018. The majority of these studies were conducted in undergraduate face-to-face courses. The most common independent variables were manipulations of the configuration of interteaching or comparisons to traditional-lecture format. The most common dependent variables were quiz or examination scores. Only 24% of all studies implemented at least five of the seven components of interteaching. Prep guides, discussions, record sheets, and frequent assessments were the most commonly implemented. Meta-analyses indicated that interteaching is more effective than traditional lecture or other control conditions, with an overall large effect size. Furthermore, variations in the configuration of the interteaching components do not seem to substantially limit its effectiveness, as long as the discussion component is included. Future research informed by the present review includes: (a) investigating the efficacy of interteaching in additional academic areas, online environments, workplace training, and continuing education, (b) testing alternative outcome measures, generalization, and procedural integrity, (c) conducting systematic component analyses, and (d) measuring social validity from the instructor's perspective. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10864-021-09452-3.

Participatory approaches to workplace safety management: bridging the gap between behavioral safety and participatory ergonomics.

Many researchers and practitioners argue the importance of end-user involvement in workplace safety management, but the research literature and practices remain fractured across orientations. The primary aim of this article is to bridge the gap between two major participatory safety management approaches: behavioral safety and participatory ergonomics. First, an overview and brief history of participative management is presented to provide context for its application to workplace safety. Next, behavioral safety and participatory ergonomics are separately examined in terms of their origins and core elements. Finally, based on this examination, unifying elements between behavioral safety and participatory ergonomics will be presented to provide a comprehensive account of participatory safety management.

Reinforcement uncertainty enhances preference for choice in humans.

Under concurrent-chains schedules of reinforcement, participants often prefer situations that allow selection among alternatives (free choice) to situations that do not (forced choice). The present experiment examined the effects of reinforcement probability on choice preferences. Preferences for free versus forced choice were measured under a condition in which participants' choices were always reinforced (reinforcement probability of 1.0) and a condition in which outcomes were uncertain (reinforcement probability of 0.5). Forty-four college students participated and preferences were examined under a concurrent-chains schedule of reinforcement. Participants preferred free choice under uncertain reinforcement, but a bias toward free choice was not observed when reinforcement was certain. These results align with previous findings of preference for free choice under conditions of uncertainty, but suggest that preference may be dependent upon probabilistic reinforcement contingencies in the terminal links of the concurrent-chains arrangement. Thus, reinforcement probability is an important variable to consider when conducting similar studies on the value of choice.

An Analysis of Trainers' Perspectives within an Ecological Framework: Factors that Influence Mine Safety Training Processes.

BACKGROUND: Satisfactory completion of mine safety training is a prerequisite for being hired and for continued employment in the coal industry. Although training includes content to develop skills in a variety of mineworker competencies, research and recommendations continue to specify that specific limitations in the self-escape portion of training still exist and that mineworkers need to be better prepared to respond to emergencies that could occur in their mine. Ecological models are often used to inform the development of health promotion programs but have not been widely applied to occupational health and safety training programs. METHODS: Nine mine safety trainers participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. A theoretical analysis of the interviews was completed via an ecological lens. Each level of the social ecological model was used to examine factors that could be addressed both during and after mine safety training. RESULTS: The analysis suggests that problems surrounding communication and collaboration, leadership development, and responsibility and accountability at different levels within the mining industry contribute to deficiencies in mineworkers' mastery and maintenance of skills. CONCLUSION: This study offers a new technique to identify limitations in safety training systems and processes. The analysis suggests that training should be developed and disseminated with consideration of various levels-individual, interpersonal, organizational, and community-to promote skills. If factors identified within and between levels are addressed, it may be easier to sustain mineworker competencies that are established during safety training.

Effects of the relative values of alternatives on preference for free-choice in humans.

Organisms often prefer conditions that allow selection among alternatives (free-choice) to conditions that do not (forced-choice), particularly when response alternatives in free-choice produce equal or greater reinforcer magnitudes than those available under forced-choice. We present data on free-choice preference for human participants who gained or lost points by selecting images of cards on a computer screen under a concurrent-chains schedule. Responding during the initial link gained access to a terminal link offering a single-card set (forced-choice) or a three-card set (free-choice). The alternatives in free-choice produced reinforcer magnitudes (points) that were: (a) equal to forced-choice; (b) equal to and greater than forced-choice; and (c) equal to and less than forced-choice. Participants showed reliable preference for free-choice under some conditions; however, preference decreased as reinforcer magnitude for some alternatives in free-choice was reduced. This occurred even though it was possible to obtain the same number of points across free- and forced-choice. Although preference for free-choice was clearly demonstrated, the effect of points available in the terminal link suggests that this phenomenon is subject to modulation by other processes, such as reinforcement or punishment by obtained outcomes in the terminal link. Context (reinforcer-gain or -loss) was not a reliable predictor of preference.