Schedule control with a synchronous reinforcement treadmill preparation: A replication and extension

Area of Science:

• Behavioral psychology
• Exercise science
• Human-computer interaction

Background:

• Music is frequently used to influence physical activity.
• Previous research demonstrated that preferred music can regulate walking speed.
• Further investigation is needed to optimize music-based interventions for sustained behavior change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of preferred music in a more complex schedule-controlled walking task.
• To extend the findings of Pinkston et al. (2024) regarding music and walking speed.
• To explore behavioral variability during extinction phases of the music-based intervention.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-five participants walked on a treadmill under a five-component mixed schedule.
• High-preference music was used as a reinforcer for specific walking speed parameters.
• Synchronous reinforcement components featured distinct bands for contacting the reinforcer.

Main Results:

• Schedule control of walking speed was observed in 72% of participants (18 out of 25).
• A significant majority (77.78%) of participants exhibiting schedule control also showed response variability during extinction.
• These results align with and extend previous findings on music-mediated behavioral control.

Conclusions:

• High-preference music can effectively establish schedule control over treadmill walking speed in a complex reinforcement schedule.
• The observed variability during extinction suggests potential for maintaining engagement and adaptability in music-based interventions.
• These findings have implications for designing technology-assisted interventions to promote health-related behaviors, such as regular physical activity.