A performance feedback procedure was used to increase glove wearing by nurses in a hospital emergency room in situations in which contact with body fluids was highly likely. Infection-control nurses provided biweekly performance feedback to staff nurses on an individual private basis to inform them of the percentage of contact opportunities in which they wore gloves. Observations made prior to (baseline) and during feedback in a multiple baseline design across 4 subjects indicated that substantial increases in glove wearing in target situations occurred after implementation of the feedback program and that increases occurred across most of the specific situations in which glove wearing was advised. Percentage increases in glove wearing ranged from 22% to 49% across subjects. The results are discussed in terms of prevention of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) by use of universal precautions.

Three experiments are reported in which rats first received 50 escapable or inescapable signaled-shock trials. Experiment 1 (n = 22) employed an acquired-drive paradigm and found inescapable shock subjects learned a hurdle-jump response to escape the signal less rapidly than did escapable-shock subjects. Experiment 2 (n = 24) employed a conditioned emotional response paradigm and found inescapable-shock subjects suppressed more when the signal was introduced in the appetitive bar-pressing task. Both experiments measured spontaneous activity immediately following conditioning and found no group differences. Experiment 3 (n = 39) employed the same activity task and found no difference between escapable- and inescapable-shock groups when the signal was introduced into the activity task. Both groups displayed less activity than a nonshock control group during the signal. The results suggest that lack of control over the shock in the conditioning phase did not result in an increase of conditioned fear. The results are discussed in terms of a learned active-inactive predisposition to respond.

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