Marian and Keller Breland pioneered the application of operant psychology to commercial animal training during the 1940s and 1950s. The Brelands' story is relatively unknown in the history of behavior analysis. Using information from the Breland-Bailey papers, this paper describes the development and activities of Animal Behavior Enterprises…

Demonstrates the use of the behavior-analytic approach in remediation of behavior problems precipitated by sexual abuse of a five-year-old girl. Treatment using excessive ruminations and negative emotional responding produces stable gains over a one-year period. (SA)

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate that an audiotape desensitization treatment procedure, administered over a 19-day period, would be an effective means of treating test-taking anxiety. Subjects were students seeking treatment from a university counseling center. Results indicated that the treated subjects showed significant…

When an odor is paired with a delayed illness, rats acquire a relatively weak odor aversion. In contrast, rats develop a strong aversion to an olfactory cue paired with delayed illness if it is presented simultaneously with a gustatory cue. Such a conditioning effect has been referred to as taste-potentiated odor aversion learning (TPOA). TPOA is…

The use of reinforcement as a treatment technique by a counselor is demonstrated. Its purpose is two-fold: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of the technique; and (2) to actively involve the participant in the demonstration. A pre-test involves presentation of a hypothetical situation from which the participant is to select: (1) problem behaviors;…

B.F. Skinner applied his concept of operant conditioning to education. Skinner believed that people acted the way they did because they had been reinforced for behaving in a certain manner. His orientation to pedagogy was predicated upon the notion that a student's behavior could be modified by guiding the student through the learning process…

Exposed students in four second-grade classes exhibiting disruptive behavior to response cost programs with varying initial reinforcement and fine levels. Results indicated all treatments were highly effective, as all groups underwent maximum behavioral change. Suggests degree of aversiveness of procedure did not appear to be strongly related to…

Discusses certain factors that contribute to the development of chronic pain. Psychosocial factors are explored with a summary of their implications for treatment. Medical treatment for chronic pain is reviewed and holistic treatment is surveyed. (Author)

The performance of five students (ages 6 to 10) in an adjustment class for deaf children was compared under fixed and variable ratio schedules of reinforcement. During the VR condition, students visually attended more and engaged in disruptive behavior less often than during the FR condition. (Author)

This paper discusses how to set up and implement a token economy system for students with behavior disorders in a classroom setting. The available literature is reviewed, and it is concluded that token economies have been proven effective in improving behavior among students with social and academic deficits. (Author/PB)

Extinction of conditioned fear in animals is the explicit model of behavior therapy for human anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Based on previous data indicating that fear extinction in rats is blocked by quinpirole, an agonist of dopamine D2 receptors, we hypothesized…

Sixteen papers concerned with vocational habilitation of the severely and profoundly retarded are organized into three parts: issues in habilitation, stimulus control of vocational behavior, and instrumentation for program evaluation. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Structured Employment: Productivity and Productive Capacity" (R.…

The study examined the extent to which momentary DRO (differential reinforcement of other behavior) maintained suppression (following initial treatment with whole-interval DRO) of the maladaptive behavior of nine severely multihandicapped elementary aged students. Results indicated that momentary DRO maintained response suppression comparable to…

Describes operant conditioning as an effective means of modifying behavior of children in typical classes. Emphasizes effective operant procedures as having a contingency between child's response and teacher's reward. Reviews relevant literature. Suggests only tentative evidence from the present review supports the contingency of response and…

A severely disabled and retarded 15-year-old girl was examined for: effect of music and approval as reinforcers for following a command; effect of a food-pairing procedure on an approval alone condition, an approval plus music condition, and an ignore condition; durability of newly conditioned reinforcers; and strength of the new reinforcers as…