Thirty-two normal-hearing adults rating their own lipreading performance produced self-ratings that did not correlate with actual performance. Experimental subjects who then received verbal encouragement subsequently gave themselves higher self-ratings of performance, even though actual lipreading performance did not improve. (JDD)

High individual accountability did not show significant positive effects on learning when compared with cooperative reward conditions. (JD)

Secondary students (n=110) with disabilities rated 90 potential reinforcers. Results indicated that, although student preferences represent a range of reinforcers within existing reinforcement hierarchies, the sample group tended to prefer less intrusive higher level reinforcers, with the overwhelming majority preferring academic or activity…

The behavior of special education students (age 12 and 16) was evaluated as they were presented with 2 academic response alternatives on concurrent reinforcement schedules. Both subjects allocated higher rates of responses to the richer schedule of reinforcement, although only 1 responded exclusively to the richer schedule. (Author/JDD)

This paper explains the brief stimulus preference procedure (SPA), which is designed to identify efficiently the effective reinforcers for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. SPA involves presenting the child with four items he/she generally responds well to plus one new item. After allowing the child to pick his preferred…

Abusive, potentially abusive, and control group parents (N=62) were presented with vignettes describing a child with either mild or severe behavior problems and asked to rate the acceptability of four discipline procedures (positive reinforcement, timeout, timeout with spanking, and spanking). Overall, parents rated positive reinforcement as more…

Three studies investigated environmental correlates of self-injurious behavior in seven developmentally disabled children and adolescents which were then later used for treatment. Correlates investigated included positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, automatic reinforcement, and control. "Escape extinction" was successfully…

To increase the number of times that a woman with severe disabilities complied with requests to take prescribed oral medication, the woman was asked to follow a number of requests with which she typically complied, her compliance was reinforced, and then she was requested to take the medication. (Author/JDD)

School-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) has been identified as an effective and efficient method to teach students prosocial skills. It requires both effective behavior support practices and systems that will support these changes, including data-based decision making among the school leadership team. There are many practical and systemic…

The study sought to reduce physical contact among students in a special education classroom and to reduce inappropriate contact with classroom objects or materials. Four students, aged 7-9, who exhibited disruptive classroom behavior, were the subjects. During small-group mathematics instruction, three rules of discipline were explained to the…

Absenteeism of 130 direct-care staff in a residential facility for developmentally disabled persons was reduced by 27 percent through positive reinforcement for reliable attendance and punishment (progressive discipline) for attendance abuse. Reduced absenteeism was maintained for 12 months and overtime was reduced, but staff turnover increased.…

This study examined effect of initial differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) intervals on disruptive behavior of nine students with moderate disabilities. Results indicate initial DRO value equal to the mean number of intervals between responses in baseline was much more effective than a value twice that size. (Author/PB)

The effects of teacher praise, ignoring, time-out, and parental contingencies on the number of inappropriate behaviors of two mentally handicapped (IQ's 55 and 51) male students ages seven and nine were investigated in a one-year study. Both students reduced inappropriate noise and behavior, and the frequency of inappropriate behavior remained…

The study found significant improvements in behavior when a profoundly mentally retarded blind subject was reinforced with music. The young woman also discriminated among different types of music, and behavior rates varied accordingly. (Author/DB)

The relative effectiveness of three procedures for increasing vocal response to prompt in 15 preschool children with Down Syndrome was compared. Light-dimming and visual screening, when combined with positive reinforcement, were both found to be significantly more effective than positive reinforcement alone. (Author/JDD)