When people are working on creative tasks, they make progress in conscious thought (CT) and unconscious thought (UT) processes. UT occurs outside conscious awareness, and unlike CT, it is independent of working memory resources. Previous studies suggest UT is more influential under certain conditions, known as the UT effect. Typically, these…

Previous research shows that infants of parents who are more likely to engage in socially contingent interactions with them tend to have larger vocabularies. An open question is "how" social contingency facilitates vocabulary growth. One possibility is that parents who speak in response to their infants more often produce larger…

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a multi-component intervention on cooperative behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, three dyads comprising six boys aged between 4.5 and 7 years with ASD participated, following a randomized multiple baseline design. The participants were asked to construct…

This study investigated the effects of interdependent group contingencies (IGCs) on teacher behavior in high school classrooms. Interdependent group contingencies, rooted in the principles of applied behavior analysis, have demonstrated to be effective in managing student behaviors. However, their impact on teacher behavior has remained…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of interdependent and independent group contingencies on pre-service teachers' performance on class quizzes that reflected their knowledge of evidence-based practices for students with extensive support needs. In the interdependent condition, the course instructor awarded extra credit…

The finding that differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) is efficacious at 80% integrity when continuous reinforcement is programmed for alternative responding may have contributed to a perception that integrity at 80% or above is acceptable. However, research also suggests that other interventions (e.g., noncontingent…

The Premack principle states that any Response A can reinforce any other Response B if the independent rate of A is greater than the independent rate of B (Premack, 1959). Applying the Premack principle involves arranging the environment to restrict access to certain responses based on relative probabilities of a set of given responses (Timberlake…

Research is essential for identifying behavior management procedures as evidence-based and employing these procedures in a classroom is vital to create the optimal environment for students. Group contingencies can be easily implemented across classroom settings as they aim to manage the behavior of a group via operant behavior change procedures.…

Research has demonstrated the efficacy and effectiveness of using high preferred stimuli as reinforcers to change individual behavior. However, these high preferred reinforcers are not always readily available or it may not be in the individual's best interest to use them (i.e., high calorie edibles). Previous research has demonstrated that…

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (n.d.) suggests that acquisition and use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is dynamic and that learning multiple modalities may be beneficial particularly for those individuals with severe disabilities. Evaluation of response variability after training multiple modalities has yet…

Neurologic insults in infancy can have significant long-term effects on developmental processes including attention and learning; however, the heterogeneity of diagnoses and treatments in this population often lead to exclusion from interventional trials to improve outcomes. This study sought to determine whether hospitalized infants with neural…

An ABAB reversal design was employed to evaluate the effect of differential reinforcement of low (DRL) frequency behavior as an interdependent group contingency on the frequency of vocal disruptions of five males, 6-14-years old, diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The results showed lower frequencies of vocal disruptions during…

Group contingencies (GCs) are an effective intervention for improving student outcomes in general education school settings but their use in alternative education has historically been limited. However, researchers have recently begun to build a substantial literature base demonstrating the potential of GCs in alternative education. This is…

Class-wide academic performance can be increased by overlaying existing instructional and classroom management procedures with supplemental interdependent group-oriented bonus rewards. The bonus reward strategies may be particularly effective for under-motivated, low-performing students. When applying supplemental interdependent group-oriented…

Group contingencies are evidence-based behavioral interventions frequently employed in educational settings. Group contingencies are composed of four distinct parameters: (1) a criterion, (2) a reward, (3) target students, and (4) target behaviors. Although it is common practice for teachers to reveal these parameters to students before the…