An extensive literature on the causes of challenging behaviors has been developed, primarily in the applied behavior analysis literature. One hundred and seventy-three empirical studies were reviewed where functional assessment serves as the primary method of identifying these causes. Most of the studies were able to identify a clear function or…

Few direct-assessment procedures are designed to identify potential negative reinforcers (e.g., including demands in the escape condition of functional analyses). Two participants were systematically exposed to a series of demands nominated by caregivers as potential negative reinforcers. Sessions ended following the first instance of problem…

A large body of literature exists describing the harmful effects of prenatal drug exposure on infant and child development. However, there is a paucity of research examining strategies to ameliorate sequelae such as externalizing behavior problems. In the present study, functional analysis procedures were used to assess challenging behavior…

Incentive and behavior were investigated in the study focusing upon a comparison of the effects of response cost (for errors) and response reward (for correct responses) on verbal performance of mentally retarded subjects. (KW)

Use of tokens as positive reinforcers for correct responses in speech therapy and no consequences for incorrect responses was compared with the use of tokens contingent upon correct responses and loss of tokens for incorrect responses. (Author)

Time-out from positive reinforcement was found to have a suppressive effect when the response alternative was reinforced with the same frequency as the punished response. When the response alternative was a response for which positive reinforcement had been withdrawn, time-out was significantly preferred. (MH)

Response cost (punishment) decreased stuttering below the baserate frequency for three adult male stutterers, but when reintroduced after pairing with reinforcement, one subject's rate of stuttering did not immediately decrease, suggesting that punishment for stuttering may acquire discriminative attributes after systematic pairing with a…

A case study is presented in which aggressive behavior of two pre-school boys on a nursery school bus was modified by the introduction of a negative punishment contingency in which the Ss were told they would be detained on the bus until the second time the bus passed their house (delay of reinforcement) if abusive behavior occurred. (Author)

It was hypothesized that while approval of donation behavior from altruistic models would be rewarding, such approval from selfish models would be aversive. (Authors)

The present study attempted to duplicate earlier findings and to investigate the effects of mechanical as well as personal reinforcement. However, the acquisition and extinction differences between oral and anal scoring types reported in the earlier studies were not obtained with either personal or mechanical reinforcement. (Author)

THE STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER LATENCY AND RESPONSE DURATIONS IN CHILDREN'S SPEECH AS A RESULT OF VERBAL PUNISHMENT COMPARED TO REWARD, AND WHETHER THE EFFECTS ARE GREATER IN YOUNGER OR OLDER CHILDREN AND IN BOYS OR GIRLS. SUBJECTS WERE 160 BOYS AND GIRLS FROM THIRD AND SIXTH GRADES. DURING A…

The Reinstein Reinforcement Schedule, based on a simple program of reinforcement for success and nonreinforcement for failure, was one of the important variables introduced in the University of Texas 1968-69 Head Start Intervention Study. The effect of the schedule was assessed as part of an evaluation of the Buchanan Language Program. Three…