Noncompliance is a common behavior problem exhibited by typically developing children, as well as individuals with intellectual disabilities, and is correlated with a number of psychiatric diagnoses later in life. We begin this manuscript by describing the definition and prevalence of noncompliance. We then review the assessment procedures that…

The use of aversives as a method for behavioral intervention in U.S. public schools has been a persistent concern and often subject to litigation, particularly among students with disabilities. The use of aversives (restraint, seclusion, and corporal punishment) have been supported in some cases due to their perceived necessity to keep children…

Several review and epidemiological studies have been conducted over recent years to inform behavior analysts of functional analysis outcomes. None to date have closely examined demographic and clinical data for functional analyses conducted exclusively in public school settings. The current paper presents a data-based summary of 90 functional…

The article describes three aspects of negative reinforcement as it relates to applied behavior analysis: behavior acquired or maintained through negative reinforcement, the treatment of negatively reinforced behavior, and negative reinforcement as therapy. Current research suggests the emergence of an applied technology on negative reinforcement.…

Outlines the history of punishment, focusing on the European tradition of obedience versus respect. Discusses reformers in child rearing, such as Maria Montessori, Karl Wilker, and Janusz Korczak, and looks at punishment and thinking errors in angry kids and in angry adults. Supplies a synopsis for conditions leading to effective punishment. (RJM)

This article summarizes and critically analyzes the literature on self-restraint (in which a mentally retarded individual restricts or prevents motion of a body part), particularly its identification, etiology, modification, and relationship to self-injurious behavior. The paper examines the hypotheses of negative reinforcement and stimulus…

Reports on interventions with gangs of youth in Northern Ireland beyond the control of authorities. Recounts how physical abuse or banishment have proven ineffective in curtailing delinquency and offers a case study to exemplify this point. Details the powerlessness of punishment, advocating high expectations and communication over coercion. (RJM)

This paper reviews the functional properties and procedural variations of differential reinforcement for the reduction of behavior disorders in individuals with developmental disabilities. The paper proposes that limited success may be a result of the arbitrary relationship that exists between reinforcers and target behaviors when behavioral…

The paper looks at philosophical, heuristic, and practical reasons why behavior management approaches have failed to positively impact on the lives of exceptional Black children. Critiqued are behavior modification techniques, contingency management strategies, suspensions, expulsions, and positive and negative reinforcement. Noted among the…

Explores the concept of a "just deserts" justice paradox in which carrying out a deserved penalty breaches the values that undergird the theory of just deserts. Examines whether it might ever be proper, from a desert perspective, to choose not to impose a deserved punishment. (KW)

This research review finds that academic activities and instructional interactions are potential sources of aversive stimuli that may increase undesirable escape and avoidance behavior in students with emotional disturbances. By reducing the availability of aversive stimuli in the instructional process, the development of more powerful and…

Examines the lessons taught by physical punishment in education and childbearing. Discusses education and religious beliefs that have long supported corporal punishment. Details the lessons instilled by spanking, the historical myth that spanking was practiced by all ancestors, and some alternatives to spanking, such as hugs. (RJM)

Presents the negative-reinforcement paradigm as a framework with potential to guide development of interventions that increase desirable and decrease undesirable behaviors of students with disabilities. Studies involving children with emotional and behavioral disorders are presented to convey the importance of teachers' awareness of the paradigm's…

A literature review of communications, psychological, physiological and other sociobehavioral research literature reveals a number of paradoxes regarding the emphasis by information gatekeepers, media, and audiences on messages that are negative, critical, pessimistic, conflict-and-tension-producing, skeptical, punitive, threatening,…

This paper describes systems dynamics, reviews the literature of uses of systems concepts in distance education (DE), presents a preliminary model, and ends in a call to researchers to contribute to the building of a standard model of DE. (Contains 4 figures.)