Effects of fixed ratio schedules of reinforcement on exercise by college students

Response-contingent reinforcement was expected to increase the time spent riding a stationary exercise cycle by college women. A single-subject experimental design was used. Three college-age women rode a stationary cycle until they were either too tired to continue or until 45 minutes elapsed. Video clips were used to reinforce cycling in the first part of the experiment. Under some conditions, no video clips were presented (baseline). In other conditions, the video was on for the entire session or 25 sec. of video was presented after the completion of FR 40 (40 rotations of the cycle's pedals) or 80 (80 rotations of the cycle's pedals) schedules. In the second part of the experiment, money was presented following every 20 (FR 20) or 40 (FR 40) rotations of the cycle's pedals. The time spent riding the cycle increased over the baseline when video clips were presented. No consistent differences were observed when the video clips were on for the entire session and when they were presented under FR 40 and FR 80 schedules. For one out of two participants, monetary reward increased the time spent riding the cycle. The data suggest that reinforcement schedules are a means of initiating and maintaining adherence to an exercise program.