Communicators of climate science seek ways to better educate and motivate individuals to personally commit to sustainable, energy-saving activities. However, critical psychological and social barriers to conservation make this task challenging. Behavioural scientists are well aware of the difficulties that individuals and groups have in responding…

Translating ethics knowledge into ethical behavior is much harder than it appears, writes Sternberg. In this article, he outlines an eight-step process that individuals must go through to act in an ethical way--for example, recognizing that there is an event to which to react, taking personal responsibility for generating an ethical solution to…

Positive behavior support (PBS) is an empirically driven approach to improve quality of life influenced by the science of behavior analysis. Recent discussions have evolved around PBS, behavior analysis, and their relationship within education and human services fields. To date, few data have been offered to guide behaviorally oriented…

This paper comments on the controversy surrounding the use of gentle teaching and applied behavior analysis. Strengths of gentle teaching are noted, such as its wide focus and emphasis on mutual change between client and caregiver. Behavioral interpretations are offered for behavior change reported in the use of gentle teaching procedures. (JDD)

This commentary on the use of gentle teaching with individuals with developmental disabilities examines the method's assumptions, describes its use of behavioral techniques, and criticizes its ineffectiveness. (JDD)

This commentary on EC 605 189 discusses assumptions of gentle teaching, its use of supportive behavioral techniques, and criticisms of gentle teaching. The paper concludes that gentle teaching is distinct from applied behavior analysis (ABA) in its unconditional valuing and focus on mutual change and is congruent with ABA in use of several…

The authors of EC 606 783 examine the background of instructive feedback stimuli either related or unrelated to target behaviors, devised for students with disabilities. Issues discussed include the selection of feedback stimuli, presentation of feedback stimuli, and unique applications of instructive feedback. (DB)

Analyzes the use of behavioral self-modification projects in college classes. Such projects are attempts by students to apply the principles of behavioral psychology to their own behavior. Discussed are impact of projects on student learning, extent of student behavior change, and adequacy of research design. (Author/AV)

Describes a successful intervention procedure utilizing operant conditioning techniques that reduced the high frequency of inappropriate behavior of a retarded girl in a residential facility. Three teachers, in three different instructional settings, mildly punished each incident of hand-mouthing while concurrently teaching more functional…

This paper explores the controversy surrounding gentle teaching, with particular reference to the relationship between gentle teaching and applied behavior analysis. Advantages and disadvantages of this approach are discussed, and it is suggested that gentle teaching and applied behavior analysis need not be regarded as mutually exclusive…

This chapter describes the theoretical and methodological foundations of behavior modification, the behavioral analysis of the retarded child and teaching programs for retarded children. (Author/RK)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a behavior modification method for remediation of reading skills with ten primary grade students enrolled in a sixteen week program. Ten elementary school teachers enrolled in a graduate diagnostic and remedial reading course received eight hours of instruction, including the collection…

Rates of verbalizing by three children exhibiting moderate to severe language delays (delays of six months to two years) were increased through the systematic use of mands for verbalization, models for verbalization, and contingent positive consequences following utterances. Daily samples of each child's speech were collected during free play…

Thirty-five manuscripts from a national conference dealing primarily with Personalized System of Instruction are collected and grouped by topic. Areas covered include application of individualized teaching to new content areas, experimental comparisons of individualized procedures and traditional methods, students teaching other students, academic…

The objective of the study was to (1) systematically study the process by which small group cooperation develops and to (2) produce guidelines that will be useful to teachers. The sample consisted of 84 seventh grade boys and girls of middle class families. Three randomly assigned samples (rotating, solid, and control) comprised the experimental…