The purpose of this paper is to examine, from a sociopsychological standpoint, some of the elements which account for the success of behavior therapy and to comment on the meaning of its emergence in modern society. Behavior therapy is seen as an indicator and consequence of major cultural trends. (Author/CG)

A young man with a long history of social withdrawal and lack of initiative was treated on behavioristic principles after the therapist had established a highly sympathetic relationship. Graduated tasks were suggested and assertive behavior was modeled and gently instigated. Within 6 weeks increase in motivation and level of activity was achieved.…

Sequential treatment involving systematic desensitization and relaxation, symbolic (film), live, and participant modeling were employed in the successful alleviation of a severe snake phobia. Implications are discussed regarding the utility of programs attuned to the needs of individual patients. (Author)

The effect of a reinforcement program on the rate of attendance and tardiness was examined in an ABAC design across four male special education junior high students enrolled in a class for behavior and attendance problems. (Author)

A firm physical restraint procedure (physically holding the child from behind until all verbal and physical aggressions had ceased for 30 seconds) was effective in significantly reducing the aggressive responses of a 6-year-old severely emotionally disturbed male in a self-contained special education class. (Author/CL)

Process and outcome of a smoking cessation program using behavior therapy along (BT) or behavior therapy plus the nicotine patch (BTP) was studied in 64 participants. Abstinence was significantly higher for the BTP group from the end of behavioral treatment (79% vs. 63%) through the three-month follow-up, with the effects weakening at the six- and…

Sixteen published empirical studies are reviewed in which high-probability request sentencing was used to increase compliance to requests in children 8 years of age and younger. Results across the studies show effectiveness of the technique. A theoretical framework, methodological adequacies, utility, and implications for research are addressed.…

Increased sharing behavior of preschoolers (N=6) by exposing group to: (1) books with themes on sharing, (2) a puppet presentation of book characters modeling sharing behavior, and (3) child use of puppets to portray book character sharing behavior. Found combined bibliotherapy and puppetry increased preschooler sharing behavior. (Author/CM)

All too often, one behavioral intervention is used universally to handle a variety of problem behaviors, regardless of the function of the misbehavior. This article describes how a functional assessment of behavior can be used to identify the purpose of misbehaviors and plan effective behavioral interventions. (Author)

Schools are now required by law to create behavior support plans based on functional behavioral assessment (FBA) for students with behavior problems. Although FBA has been shown to be effective, there are questions as to its feasibility in the schools. In this pilot study we examined the effectiveness of a truncated FBA procedure. The FBA used a…

Children with developmental disabilities (DD) often present with comorbid disruptive behavior problems that may negatively affect their education, treatment, and social interactions. Therefore, treatments that reduce disruptive behavior in children with DD are critical. Three characteristics strongly suggest that PCIT is an appropriate treatment…

We describe the assessment and treatment of 2 children with autism spectrum disorder whose problem behaviors (self-injury, aggression, and disruption) were multiply controlled. Results of functional analyses indicated that the children's problem behaviors were maintained by both positive reinforcement (attention) and negative reinforcement (escape…

This study examined the efficacy of a self-administered behavioral family intervention for 126 parents of toddlers. The effects of 2 different levels of intensity of the self-administered intervention were contrasted (self-administered alone or self-administered plus brief therapist telephone assistance). The results provide support for the…

We attempted to determine the effects of instructions, goal setting, and reinforcement, in isolation and combination, on the letter naming proficiency of 2 underperforming Kindergarten students. During a no-intervention baseline, both students' accuracy was low or declining. Instructions alone produced increases over baseline responding, but the…