The application of positive practice overcorrection to the use of hearing protection

A successful habit-building technique, overcorrection, was extended into an industrial type military setting to increase hearing protection usage among airplane mechanics in a high intensity noise environment. Three natural groups were assigned randomly to three conditions: a standard daily safety lecture group (S) for an attention-Placebo control; a leader-directed overcorrection group (A); and a leader-participative overcorrection group (P). Unobtrusive pre-test baseline observations of hearing protection usage established no significant difference among groups. Overcorrection requires persons not using hearing protection to practice repeatedly putting on protection after their failure is discovered by leaders or coworkers. During the application phase, the overcorrection groups successfully increased hearing protection usage over pre-test usage and in comparison to the Standard group which remained unchanged throughout the study. One of the overcorrection groups approached perfect usage. Members of the P group gave higher preference ratings than A group members. There was a decline toward original usage levels once the test was called off.