Three encouraging trends in special education are greater focus on instruction, emphasis on positive approaches to problem behavior, and greater reliance on scientific evidence. Next steps involving instruction should include research on modifications of instruction needed to accommodate learners with disabilities and on the place in which these…

Across the U.S., an estimated 60% of incoming community college students require developmental courses to be ready for college-level work, according to estimates by experts. As these courses act as a gateway to further studies, those who fail are most often lost to higher education: Less than a quarter will earn a degree or certificate within…

Environmental strategies for colleges and universities to reduce alcohol consumption among their students include the development and enforcement of campus alcohol policies. This study examines students' knowledge and attitudes toward campus alcohol policies and how they relate to alcohol consumption and alcohol social norms. A sample of 422…

This article reviews 10 techniques used to identify opinion leaders to promote behavior change. Opinion leaders can act as gatekeepers for interventions, help change social norms, and accelerate behavior change. Few studies document the manner in which opinion leaders are identified, recruited, and trained to promote health. The authors categorize…

Author responds to comments (EC 232 033-037) on his paper (EC 232 032) concerning use of aversive therapy or punishment with mentally retarded persons. Paper notes ideological connotations often implied in the term "punishment" and the lack of response to the distinction made in his paper between this and the functional relations…

The view that behavior therapists are ethical relativists is challenged. Behavior therapists hold no philosophical positions that preclude justification of ethical principles, but they must be "ethical skeptics." In response, it is argued that there is no basis for ethical skepticism or for this philosophical defense of behavior therapy.…

This paper expresses support for the resolution of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps to prohibit aversion-based procedures. In response to Horner and others (EC 232 976), the paper agrees on the values expressed but disagrees on the science reported. (DB)

Nine papers examine current issues in the education of children with behavioral disorders. Three papers deal with theory, three with application, and three contain responses of a classroom teacher, an administrator, and a special education professor, respectively, to the preceding six papers. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Mental,…

The author attempts to clarify the difference between punishment and negative reinforcement and suggests that negative reinforcement should be used only as a last resort as a disciplinary tool. (KC)

In a response to Albert Ellis' feature article, the author calls the article "disappointing" and points out several inconsistancies. (HMV)

The article reviewed research on professionals', consumers', and others' judgments of the restrictiveness, social acceptability, and estimated frequency of use of procedures to decrease problem behaviors of disabled persons. Most respondents agreed that more restrictive procedures should be used as a last resort and that less restrictive…

A close friend and colleague of Burrhus Frederic Skinner comments on obituaries of Skinner published in major newspapers and expresses his gratefulness for Skinner's contributions to the field of behavioral psychology, including his writing of "The Behavior of Organisms" and development of teaching machines and programed instruction.…

In a response to Albert Ellis' feature article, the author corroborates Ellis' viewpoint and discusses other areas in psychotherapy that need further research. (HMV)

In a response to Albert Ellis' feature article, the author states that most of the RET statements offered in the Ellis article are very ambiguously related to the research data cited or are not supported at all. (HMV)

Both urine alarms and dry bed training (DBT) have been used in the treatment of enuresis. To investigate the acceptability of the most recent version of DBT and urine alarm training, two studies were conducted. In the first study, the evaluation of 42 parents, who had participated in an 8-week program of either DBT or urine alarm training, were…