For years, the assumption has been that stereotypical behaviors functioned only to provide sensory or automatic reinforcement. However, these behaviors also may serve social functions. Given the unsettled debate, functional behavior assessment and functional analysis can be used to identify the exact function of stereotypical behavior and design…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of functional communication training (FCT) on the occurrence of non-targeted disruptive behavior. The 10 participants were preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities who engaged in both destructive (property destruction, aggression, self-injury) and disruptive (hand flapping,…

The procedures described by Sloman et al. (2005) were extended to an analysis of teachers' responses to problem behavior after they had been taught to withhold potential sources of positive and negative reinforcement following instances of problem behavior. Results were consistent with those reported previously, suggesting that escape from child…

The data are taken as an indication that the sweeping generalization that male homosexuals have a preference for objects of the same sex, which has its basis in a high expectancy for negative reinforcement from female figures, may be in need of qualification or revision. (Author)

We describe the assessment and treatment of 2 children with autism spectrum disorder whose problem behaviors (self-injury, aggression, and disruption) were multiply controlled. Results of functional analyses indicated that the children's problem behaviors were maintained by both positive reinforcement (attention) and negative reinforcement (escape…

This booklet, one in a series entitled "What Research Says to the Teacher," deals with controlling classroom misbehavior. Introductory sections deal with the definitions of classroom discipline and related research problems. Control technqieus are also mentioned, as are their effects. The bulk of the document, however, is a discussion of the…

The document is the fifth in a six part research report on the assessment and treatment of deviant behavior in children. In attempting to reprogram a social environment so as to maintain behaviors modified in an experimental setting, researchers felt that it was essential that the reprograming take into account the teacher's role as a controlling…

Used data from interviews with a national sample of 807 mothers of children ages six through nine to examine causal relationship between corporal punishment and antisocial behavior (ASB). Found that corporal punishment used to reduce ASB had an opposite, long-term effect. The more spanking at the start of the study, the higher the level of ASB two…

There is a body of evidence that has linked teachers' verbal feedback to pupils with pupil behaviour. In this study teacher verbal behaviour that was directed towards those pupils that the teachers had nominated as being especially difficult to teach was examined. A series of lessons was observed in a secondary school. The quality and quantity of…

Two studies were conducted to assess the effects of interagent, inconsistent discipline on aggression in young boys. (MP)

Studies in group homes have shown that behaviors suggestive of a reinforcing relationship with an adult and of adult teaching are inversely related to self-reported delinquency among group home adolescents. Adolescents (N=29) living in natural family settings completed several self-report measures of delinquency and drug use to determine whether…

Response-cost refers to a procedure whereby a positive reinforcer is lost or some penalty is invoked following a specific misbehavior. In an alternate procedure called Differential Reinforcement of Other Responses (DRO), a reinforcing stimulus is delivered when a particular response is not emitted for a specific interval of time. This study…

The use of paradoxical interventions and brief therapy interdictions with a population of emotionally disturbed adolescents (males and females ages 13-18) attending a semi-residential alternative school was investigated. Paradoxical interventions were made by the psychological staff for purposes of management and change of withdrawn, acting out…

Explores how theories concerning socialization mechanisms may be operationalized and tested. Provides a preliminary test of this strategy using 57 boys being treated for conduct problems. Results indicate that the role of both negative reinforcement and affect dysregulation play a part in the development of a child's antisocial behavior. (RJM)