PROGRAMMING FOR SURVIVAL - A MEETING SYSTEM THAT SURVIVES 8 YEARS LATER

Effective and useful interventions often deteriorate when researchers withdraw their direct supervision. We tested the survival of an interv ention designed to produce effective weekly meetings in a student hous ing cooperative without direct researcher supervision. Chairperson per formance, proposals completed per hour, and ratings of chairperson per formance all increased when resident staff used a training manual, pro mpting checklist, and performance reviews. Eight years of follow-up re vealed continuing high levels of meeting effectiveness. This study dem onstrates a methodology for the direct observation and experimental an alysis of intervention survival.