The study reports the effects of a reinforcement program on social behaviors of three preschool children who displayed inappropriate behaviors during peer interactions. The program was effective in increasing cooperative play by at least 50 percent over baseline, and the behavior changes were maintained when tokens were withdrawn. (Author/CL)

Describes a treatment approach for the symptom management of bulimia that is a synthesis of various techniques, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, response prevention, relapse training, and psychodynamic therapy. The model has been a useful teaching tool for staff and patients in both group and individual formats. Addresses the challenges of…

Smokers who had received smoking cessation treatment of rapid smoking and behavioral counseling were assigned to one of two maintenance treatments. Treatments included coping-response and Pavlovian-exposure training. One added massed exposure to cigarettes, the other added nonmaintenance control condition. Both forms of maintenance reduced relapse…

Three punishment procedures--contingent applications of water mist, lemon juice, and vinegar--were evaluated as aversive treatment methods for a self-stimulatory behavior exhibited by a severely retarded 11-year-old male. The water mist procedure was as effective as lemon juice or vinegar, presented less physical threat to the client, and was…

One group (N=22) of community-based mentally retarded clients was initially on psychotropic medication. Their dosage was either increased, decreased, or kept the same following behavioral intervention. A second group (N=19) was placed on psychotropic medication following behavioral intervention. Results indicated that the behavioral-chemical…

Guidelines are offered to parents and teachers for dealing with "normal" and aberrant theft while maintaining respect for the child's right to privacy. It is noted that theft is resistant to traditional intervention; however, successful behavioral interventions have been devised. (Author/CL)

There was a decline in shrieking vocalizations of a profoundly retarded nine-year-old when the auditory feedback was masked with earplugs and a corresponding increase when the masking was removed. A contingent application of masking for brief intervals maintained treatment gains and minimized amount of time with the senses masked. (Author/CL)

A method for fading object rewards for superordinate prerequisites to social play simultaneously with socially rewarded training on specific play was effective in teaching games to 15 institutionalized retarded adolescents. (Author/CL)

The notion of differentially reinforcing low rates of undesirable behavior (DRL) is examined. Further, the status of the full session DRL strategy as an "alternative to punishment" is questioned in the context of a strictly operant definition of punishment. (Author/SW)

Evaluated self-administered relaxation manuals and money deposit in treating recurrent, nonphobic anxiety in college population. Relaxation training groups improved significantly more than self-monitoring-only subjects on self-report, questionnaires, and self-monitored measures of anxiety. Study suggests the value of self-monitoring and relaxation…

The author considers the role of teacher attention, attention span, reading, and hyperactivity in the creation and remediation of learning disabilities (LD). He suggests that LD classes which focus on deficits and errors may be maintaining or increasing these behaviors; and that hyperactivity can be be remediated through operant techniques. (CL)

Supports the Implicit Rules Model, which suggests that individuals acquire implicit rules that connect request situation schemas to behaviors. Shows how individuals, in two experiments, learned, based on feedback, which behaviors were "correct" for multiple instances, and then, on their own, chose the correct behavior for new instances.…

The present study attempted to replicate the findings of the Zahavi and Asher (1978) study with Head Start preschoolers. These authors found that brief oral instructions decreased observed aggressive behavior. This study found limited support for the effectiveness of brief oral instructions. Teacher ratings did reveal significant improvements in…

Twelve factors should be considered in justifying techniques selected for treating aberrant behavior in persons with mental retardation. The factors include motivational variables, treatment effectiveness, side effects, abuse potential, treatment restrictiveness/intrusiveness, treatment precedence, social acceptability, regulatory factors, staff…

We evaluated the effects of multiple treatment procedures, including simultaneous presentation of preferred foods, on the packing behavior of a 9-year-old girl with autism. A reversal design was used to assess the effects of differential reinforcement with response cost alone and with simultaneous presentation. In addition, simultaneous…