The successful application of functional analysis to problem behavior suggests the need to examine: additional functional properties of behavior involving social avoidance, biological reinforcement, and respondent conditioning; the role of context (including social factors and biological factors); and the multidimensional character of assessment…

Functional assessment is redefining the standards for clinical interventions with problem behavior and reemphasizing the importance of basic behavioral mechanisms. It has shown the importance of complex patterns of behavioral control, functional assessment as an ongoing process, and the importance of attention to antecedent variables. Future…

The study evaluated the effectiveness of superimposition and subsequent removal of a schedule of continuous reinforcement (CRF) as a rate-decreasing procedure in efforts to eliminate unwanted behaviors. Examination of lever-pressing patterns of eight male rats showed responding was substantially reduced during the superimposition of CRF but…

Assessed main and collateral effects of the assessment and treatment of attention-maintained self-injury, with regard to four categories of behavior: self-injury, a novel mand, pre-existing prosocial responses, and other aberrant responses. Results suggest that self-injury, prosocial responses, and other abberant behaviors are within the same…

Describes an intervention program to help abused children learn to inhibit aggressive behavior and increase cooperative behavior. Sixteen physically abused children participated in the program. Behavior ratings were made during the program and in-home follow-ups. Following initial increases in aggressive behaviors, significant increases in…

Two contingency systems, individual and group, were evaluated for their effects on children's behavior during small group meetings. A group of 48 children, ages 8-14, attended a seven-week residential camp program operated on a token economy system. Ratings of the campers' behavior were made by the counselors on a five-point rating scale at the…

A functional analysis involving antecedent events was conducted with four students identified as having behavior problems. Off-task behavior was measured while task difficulty and level of adult attention was manipulated during analog sessions. Results revealed higher rates of off-task behavior during difficult tasks and improved behavior when…

A study of the relationship between presence or absence of sleep deprivation, allergy symptoms, and the rate and function of problem behavior in three adolescents with moderate to profound mental retardation found that problem behavior was negatively reinforced by escape from instruction, and both allergy symptoms and sleep deprivation influenced…

This paper describes a community research project which preceded the development of the Kamehameha Early Education Project (KEEP). The community project was designed to assist teachers in solving classroom behavior and academic problems. The initial focus on workshops and theories proved inadequate for dealing with daily classroom problems. A…