EVALUATING A PERFORMANCE-BASED LOTTERY CONTINGENCY IN A RESIDENTIAL EDUCATIONAL SETTING TO INCREASE STAFF/RESIDENT INTERACTION

Abstract

Direct care staff are the largest working population in Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs) and spend the greatest amount of time working with residents. Unfortunately, direct care staff performance is often underwhelming, particularly as it pertains to engaging in pleasant interactions with residents. Direct care staff performance is particularly concerning when considering that one of the strongest protective factors for youth facing adversity is a strong attachment to adults. A multiple baseline design across classrooms was used to determine if a lottery contingency was able to increase direct care staff/resident interaction. Overall, results indicate that a lottery contingency can be successful in increasing the amount of interaction in classrooms between direct care staff and residents in a residential treatment facility. Additionally, social validity measures were collected from direct care staff and teachers in classrooms, which indicated acceptability of the intervention. Using procedures such as the lottery contingency may lead to improved outcomes for residents within an RTC.