@article{ref1,
title="Incentives and Seat Belts: Changing a Resistant Behavior Through Extrinsic Motivation",
journal="Journal of applied social psychology",
year="1978",
author="Elman, Donald and Kelebrew, T. Jeffrey",
volume="8",
number="1",
pages="72-83",
abstract="Because previously-attempted methods of increasing automobile seat belt usage have proven to be either ineffective or unworkable, a series of field experiments was carried out to test a technique of behavior influence utilizing a modest, positive incentive. In three separate studies, seat belt use of 4,745 drivers was observed as they drove out of a parking lot, after receiving one of several safety reminder leaflets. Some versions of the leaflet offered a gift certificate to a certain proportion of drivers who wore seat belts; other versions offered no incentive. The results showed that an incentive, regardless of the probability of payoff, raised belt use from about 15% to nearly 40%. Implications for future research and applications are discussed.<p />",
language="",
issn="0021-9029",
doi="10.1111/j.1559-1816.1978.tb00766.x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1978.tb00766.x"
}