Research has demonstrated the efficacy and effectiveness of using high preferred stimuli as reinforcers to change individual behavior. However, these high preferred reinforcers are not always readily available or it may not be in the individual's best interest to use them (i.e., high calorie edibles). Previous research has demonstrated that…

Successful conversation requires that the speaker's behavior is sensitive to nonvocal listener responses. We observed children with autism spectrum disorder during conversation probes in which a listener periodically displayed nonvocal cues that she was uninterested in the conversation. We used behavioral skills training to teach conversation…

Response to Intervention (RtI) is being implemented as a new initiative in PK-12 schools with increasing frequency. However, the model must be sustained at the school level, which is potentially difficult due to a number of challenges brought about by systems change. This article applied the Stokes and Baer (1977) framework for programming for…

Research has shown that variability may be an operant dimension of behavior. One method of reinforcing response variability is to use a lag schedule of reinforcement (Page & Neuringer, 1985). Several studies have shown that a Lag 1 schedule is effective in increasing variable responding with human participants (e.g., Esch, Esch, & Love, 2009; Lee,…

We manipulated relative reinforcement for problem behavior and appropriate behavior using differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) without an extinction component. Seven children with developmental disabilities participated. We manipulated duration (Experiment 1), quality (Experiment 2), delay (Experiment 3), or a combination of…

Affective priming is a technique used in experimental psychology to investigate the organization of emotional schemata not fully available to conscious awareness. The presentation of stimuli (the prime) with strong positive emotional valence alters the accessibility of positive stimuli within the individual's emotionally encoded cognitive system.…

We examined the behavior-altering effect of the motivating operation on challenging behavior during leisure activities for three individuals with severe disabilities. Prior functional analyses indicated that challenging behavior was maintained by positive reinforcement in the form of attention or tangible items for all participants. During leisure…

A four-phase investigation was completed to analyze the utility of forced-choice preference assessments when response effort and reinforcer delays are altered within a subsequent reinforcer assessment. The results indicated that access to highly preferred stimuli continued to serve as a reinforcer when increased response effort was required. When…

The effects of three different environmental conditions on the frequency of self-injurious and self-stimulation behavior in 10 brain damaged, profoundly retarded children (under 12 years old) were examined employing a time-sampled behavioral observation. The environmental conditions were social interaction, high demand, and stimulus deprivation…

Self-referred and court-referred clients were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups, aversive counterconditioning, behavioral self-control training or a controlled drinking composite. All therapies were conducted by trained paraprofessionals and consisted of 10 weekly sessions. No significant differences among treatments were found.…

Three self-stimulating behaviors of a 6-year-old autistic boy were brought under S-delta stimulus control (a type of discriminative stimulus in the presence of which a given response is punished). (Author/DLS)

Antecedent conditions involving instructor's task demands and social comments were evaluated for three students with severe disabilities who exhibited problem behavior. An instructor emitted high rates of social comments and gradually faded in task demands. Social validity assessments indicated that substantial improvements were perceived in…

Participants from a fitness club were randomly assigned to control (n=50), placebo (n=50), and stimulus control (n=100) groups to study the isolated effects of stimulus control on attendance. Control stimulus group was given "exercise" key chains as the stimulus control. Stimulus control by itself was not an effective intervention for…

Available from: Sage Publications, Inc., 275 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California 90212. Presented are guidelines for the identification of target behaviors and suitable intervention techniques by therapists using behavior modification techniques. (IM)