Contingency management is an incentive-based intervention strategy that has been demonstrated to be effective for inducing behavior change among a variety of populations and for a variety of behaviors. The current study examined whether contingency management techniques can help students change behaviors in an effort to raise their grade point…

Fifty-eight smokers received abstinence-contingent monetary payments for 1 (n = 15) or 14 (n = 43) days. Those who received contingent payments for 14 days also received 0, 1, or 8 experimenter-delivered cigarette puffs on 5 evenings. The relative reinforcing effects of smoking were assessed in a 3-hr session on the final study day, when…

The Good Behavior Game, a classroom management procedure, was examined for its effects on the frequency of inappropriate verbalizations in grade four and six regular classes. Results indicated that the game reduced inappropriate responding in both classrooms and that the use of candy did not augment the effectiveness of the Good Behavior Game.…

A twin signal device that provides both escape and avoidance conditioning in enuresis control was documented with case studies of two enuretic children (eight and nine years old). In addition, a technique of fading as an adjunct to the process was utilized with one subject. (Author/SBH)

Describes guard-designed and implemented contingency-management work squad training program for administratively segregated prison inmates with histories of violent and assaultive behavior. Notes that participation in the work squad program sharply reduced frequency of violent and assaultive behavior for 8 of 10 offender-participants whose…

Token economies often reduce problematic classroom behavior in preschool settings. In the present study, direct observation and teacher ratings of child behavior and treatment acceptability were utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of a token economy in a Head Start classroom. Because many teachers express concerns about the effort required to…

A multifaceted behavioral treatment program designed to modify noncompliance in five hyperactive preschoolers and to train their parents in techniques of maintaining compliant behavior was implemented. Results indicated that hyperactivity and noncompliance were reduced to normal limits. Parents' use of behavior modification techniques were…

The paper reviews research on behavioral staff management strategies in institutions for developmentally disabled persons, considering procedural effectiveness of four approaches: antecedent, contingency management, self-control, and multifaceted interventions. Methodological problems in the research are noted, along with needs for research on…

A retrospective evaluation of restrictive behavior programs in a state residential facility for persons with mental retardation found beneficial behavioral effects. The behavior programs reviewed utilized isolation timeout, exclusion timeout, response cost, prone restraint, seated restraint, timeout device, nonexclusion timeout, standing…

Presented are some practical, ethical, and legal challenges to the token economy system in a critical look at behavior modification in classrooms. (Editor)

The study involving 18 moderately retarded adolescents attending a public high school program assessed the usefulness of a behavioral weight reduction program. The behavior treatment involved exposure of Ss to external and self-reinforcement, stimulus control, simplified self monitoring and exercise over a 14-week active training period. Behavior…

Forty-three hyperactive children (5 to 9 years old) and their families were assessed and followed during a 3 month intervention program. Families were randomly assigned to one of three groups: parent training in behavior modification while the child was administered a placebo, parent training plus methylphenidate, and methylphenidate only. All…

The Structured Learning Therapy (SLT), a type of treatment used to assist psychiatric patients to learn skills they need for effective and satisfying living in the community, is described in this article. A description of the community-based treatment facility in which SLT may be utilized and the results of the evaluation studies are also…

Three types of investigations are considered: systematic case studies, single-subject experiments, and group outcome studies. It is concluded that stimulant medication is more effective than behavior therapy in improving classroom and social behaviors, as well as attentional processes in hyperactive children. (SBH)

This study, an approach to controlling "acting-out" behaviors of handicapped children in elementary schools, describes the use of a home-based dependent group contingency to eliminate the destructive behavior (fire-setting, vandalizing property) of a mildly retarded eight-year-old boy. (Author/PN)