Reinforcing contact with toys by providing chocolate milk odors, and tactile reinforcement helped to reduce the self injurious behaviors, feces smearing, and destructive behavior of a profoundly retarded deaf/blind hyperactive female. The underlying assumption of the approach was that increasing toy contact would result in improved alternative…

Basic intervention strategies for dealing with client resistance include psychoanalytic, learning/behavioral, and hypnotic/paradoxical. Psychoanalytic theory views resistance as a way to avoid the anxiety aroused by increasing awareness of unconscious materials and vulnerable areas in the person's life. Resistance is dealt with after it has…

Ten papers contributed by school psychologists or university educators working with school psychology programs review psychological theory and research on behavioral strategies for psychological intervention. Following an overview on the effective use of behavior modification in the school, nine behavior change methods are examined in terms of…

This guide, part of a series of booklets for parents of deaf-blind children developed by Project STEP (Steps Toward Effective Production of Speech), considers the use of rewards in shaping or changing the behavior of deaf-blind children. The types of rewards (e.g., food, drink, touch, action, something to listen to or look at) and selection of…

The prevailing concern for teacher and student accountability in education and increasing problems with student discipline have led some schools to adopt a single model of classroom discipline. For example, in one district in Florida, Lee Canter's model of assertive discipline, a behavioristic approach to classroom management, was mandated for use…

The curriculum is designed to provide classroom teachers of elementary emotionally handicapped students with a consistent framework of classroom management techniques and mainstreaming procedures. The curriculum is organized around behavioral improvement at six levels, with responsibilities increasing along with priveleges. Minimum requirements…

Describes the mechanics of writing a behavior contract. Included is a behavior contract written for one 13 year-old student. (HMV)

A counselor's success or failure is frequently associated with his ability to work with disruptive children. This article explores a behavioral group counseling approach. Results indicate that the mean disruptive behavior in the group sessions for all groups diminished considerably. (Author/HMV)

The increasing popularity of contracting and negotiation training with marital couples suggests a need for systematic analysis of the models available for such training. Working within a behavioral framework two major categories of contracting are developed, and their logical form is considered. (Author)

Examines the relationship between locus of control, using both a unidimensional and multidimensional approach, and completion and success in a weight reduction class. (Author)

Research supported in part by Grant MH-13651-01 from the National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Public Health Service.

A study of obesity management contrasted the effectiveness for 30 moderately mentally retarded adolescents of a multicomponent behavioral weight reduction program with a more traditional, nutrition based approach. Twelve Ss each were assigned to a behavior therapy (BT) and a social nutrition (SN) group, with the remaining six Ss in a wait-list…

Previous studies have shown that the use of behavior modification techniques, specifically the use of token reinforcement systems, can produce positive changes in the behavior of heroin addicts within a hospital setting. A token economy program was assessed to determine the effectiveness of such a program with patients in an outpatient methadone…

A behaviorally oriented approach to facilitate marital satisfactions is presented in this paper. The underlying rationale of the approach is presented and discussed. Furthermore, the author describes the use of the following intervention techniques: change facilitating propaganda, specification of the behaviors desired to be facilitated,…

Behavior therapy is by no means simplistic and mechanistic. It is possible to expand the horizons of behavior therapy to include such concepts as cognition and awareness without resorting to mentalistic or Freudian speculation. A new technique, the Idealized Self-Image (ISI) has been devised for the enhancement of self-esteem and learned…