A combination of instructions, modeling, praise, and feedback was applied for improving work performances with three mildly retarded adults in a business setting. Generalization occured across stimulus conditions and untrained responses, demonstrating that the retarded can be vocationally trained in a normal work setting without elaborate token…

Nine special education teachers participated in a language development minicourse emphasizing behavioral approaches. Results showed substantial increases in the teachers' use of skills in the week they were featured in the course. Further increases occurred for most skills when they were exposed to the full combination oF training methods. (CL)

A seven-year-old profoundly retarded male was trained to perform 15 of 18 functional tasks via an imitation approach paired with contingent reinforcement. Thirteen tasks were maintained at a high rate during the school year. Also, he developed response alternatives for existing self-stimulatory behaviors. (CL)

Fourteen parents of autistic children participating in a home-based behavioral program viewed their treatment more favorably than a comparison group of parents receiving more usual forms of treatment. Most had an accurate impression of treatment, but half found it hard to use the methods suggested. (Author/CL)

Using free time as a consequence was effective in maintaining accuracy while increasing the percentage of arithmetic assignments completed by an underachieving seven-year-old. Follow-up data revealed that the improvements were maintained even though no programmed consequences were in effect. (Author/CL)

A 10 unit behavior modification workshop for 10 teachers and aides in a school for severely mentally retarded students resulted in significant gains for teachers which were maintained over a 7 week period. Classroom aides, however, made only slight and nonsignificant gains after training. (CL)

Empirically evaluated the efficacy of treating combat-related disorders by imaginally presenting the aversive events surrounding the trauma. Treated a Vietnam veteran for anxiety-related symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Reduction of anxiety through imaginal exposure to the aversive events led to marked improvement in overall adjustment.…

Arguments are reviewed for and against the use of food and drink as reinforcers in school based programs for severely handicapped students. A set of guidelines is proposed. The focus is on compatibility with children's long-range educational, health, and social goals. (Author/SW)

Subjects were assigned to conditions based on smoking rates: self-monitoring nicotine plus health hazard information; self-monitoring cigarettes plus health information; and self-monitoring cigarettes with no health information. Nicotine self-monitoring groups showed greater reactivity. Exposure to health hazard information had no effect. (Author)

An overview of school-based cognitive-behavioral programs administered by paraprofessionals showed that paraprofessionals achieve positive results with their school programs, but little systematic information exists on recruiting, selecting, training, or supervising the paraprofessionals effectively. (CE)

Discussed relationships between cultural variables and psychosocial treatment. Value Orientations Scale was developed. Cuban immigrant and Anglo-American adolescents were compared. Cubans preferred lineality, subjugation to nature, present time, and not to endorse idealized humanistic values. Americans preferred individuality, mastery over nature,…

Examined variables (social background, intake symptoms, program type, treatment experiences, and perceptions of environment) related to posttreatment functioning of alcoholic patients. Results showed the combined explanatory power of program-related variables was more than expected. Explained variance was shared between patient-related and…

Examined therapist and client perceptions of transcripts of psychotherapy--one using facilitative conditions as treatment and one using them as intermediate variables leading to assertive training. For therapists, assertive training was estimated as more effective. The behavioral therapist was seen as more expert. For clients, no significant…

Compared rapid smoking (overt aversion), covert sensitization (symbolic aversion), and a combination of the two in a self-punishment procedure for eliminating cigarette smoking. Training sessions were spaced over a one-month period. The overt group achieved significantly greater reduction than the symbolic group. The combined group did not differ…

The author reviews cognitive-behavioral approaches to the training of intelligence in the retarded. A proposed structure of intelligent behavior is presented that serves as the basis for classifying the intended foci of the various training programs. (Author)