The work preferences of four adults with severe handicaps were assessed, and three choice-related situations were presented. The study found that clients attended to work tasks almost twice as much when they chose their tasks and when assigned to work on preferred tasks, versus when assigned to work on nonpreferred tasks. (Author/JDD)

Three first grade students who exhibited difficulty completing independent work improved their math performance when given recording devices to self-record performance data, with two of the children showing more reactivity when using the more obtrusive device. Three of four second grade students increased math performance during periods when peer…

Five adult males with profound retardation were assessed on a motor task during baseline, satiation, and deprivation conditions, with three classes of consequences: small food items, music, and social praise. Each stimulus class functioned as reinforcement, with different degrees of effectiveness during satiation versus deprivation conditions.…

This study evaluated the importance of active student responding while using the microcomputer to deliver the contingencies of programed instruction. Results from 75 undergraduates found that students who covertly responded to frame blanks or were required to type frame answers performed better on a posttest than students who passively read…

Seven adults with severe to profound mental retardation participated in match-to-sample discrimination training under three conditions. Results indicated that error-correction procedures improve performance through negative reinforcement; that error correction may serve multiple functions; and that, for some subjects, trial repetition enhances…