The extent to which managers could accurately predict what items/activities their employees report as preferred was examined. First, managers were asked to rank order a list of items/activities they thought their employees would most prefer to be incorporated into a performance improvement plan. Next, employee preference for these same items was…

Undergraduates given accurate instructions pressed keys for token points under either a variety of reinforcement schedules (variety training) or under a single schedule. Response rates on a fixed-interval (FI) test schedule then were assessed. Experiment 1 compared variety training inclusive of FI-optimal rates (functional) to training excluding…

The results show that the delay-retention effect occurs under conditions approximating those of real instruction and confirm the interference-perseveration interpretation of the phenomenon. (Author)

The research was conducted to determine if a physically complex, continuous, three-dimensional psychomotor skill could be acquired more efficiently with simulated-task, augmented feedback than with the feedback normally provided by performing the task itself. The specific skill selected for the study was shielded metal arc welding because it is…

Results of the present study show that children by the age of 7 have internalized systematic if not complex rules concerning the conditions under which they may engage in self-gratification. (Author)

MANY OF THE REPORTED BEHAVIORAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FAMILIAL RETARDATES AND NORMAL CHILDREN OF THE SAME MOTOR ABILITY ARE PRODUCTS OF A VARIETY OF DIFFERENCES IN MOTIVATION RATHER THAN PERMANENT EFFECTS OF MENTAL RETARDATION ITSELF. MANY RESEARCHERS, HOWEVER, HAVE TAKEN THE POSITION THAT MENTAL RETARDATES ARE INHERENTLY "DIFFERENT." THIS…

Examines the differential effectiveness of using external reinforcement versus self reinforcement to increase the task persistence of children characterized by internal or external locus of control. Subjects were 153 fourth and fifth grade boys. (BD)

Examined influence of 2 training methods on self-efficacy and performance during training for innovative problem solving. Data from 59 managers revealed that training method composed of cognitive modeling with practice and reinforcement generated significantly higher participant self-efficacy than method involving lecture and practice alone.…