Recent mandates related to the implementation of evidence-based practices for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require that autism professionals both understand and are able to implement practices based on the science of applied behavior analysis (ABA). The use of the term "applied behavior analysis" and its related concepts…

Initial experiment demonstrated operant acquisition of an instrumental hand-pulling response in 4-8-month-old infants; the effect achieved with contingent, noncontingent, delayed reinforcement, and the suppression, recovery, and facilitation effects of noncontingent stimulation are discussed. (Author)

Article reviews evidence on the effects of contrast and matching, that these effects are related, and that both effects are reactions to the same independent variable. (Author/RK)

The major concern of the study was to determine what differences, if any, in independent reading-work behaviors were observed between baseline and experimental conditions using the Rules, Ignore, Praise technique with two seven year old children. During the reinforcement period children worked harder. Bibliography. (Author/AF)

From its inception in the 1930s until very recent times, the cumulative recorder was the most widely used measurement instrument in the experimental analysis of behavior. It was an essential instrument in the discovery and analysis of schedules of reinforcement, providing the first real-time analysis of operant response rates and patterns. This…

A critique of the behavior modification technique of overcorrection, used primarily with mentally handicapped individuals to reduce undesirable forms of behavior, is presented. (BD)

The relation between the rate of a response ("B") and the rate of its reinforcement ("R") is well known to be approximately hyperbolic: B = kR/(R + R[subscript o]), where k represents the maximum response rate, and R[subscript o] indicates the rate of reinforcers that will engender a response rate equal to half its maximum value. A review of data…

Thumbsucking of a girl aged 2 years and 9 months was recorded by the parents during three 10-minute reading baselines. In Study 1, thumbsucking was punished by contingent termination and resumption of reading. In Study ii, positive reinforcement was provided for other (non-thumbsucking) behavior. The results imply that parents can effectively…

A base rate of deviant behavior was obtained for the eight most disruptive children in a third grade adjustment class. In a token reinforcement program, the children received teacher's ratings, which were exchangeable for reinforcers such as candy and trinkets. With the introduction of the token reinforcement program, an abrupt reduction in…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a behavior modification method for remediation of reading skills with ten primary grade students enrolled in a sixteen week program. Ten elementary school teachers enrolled in a graduate diagnostic and remedial reading course received eight hours of instruction, including the collection…

The use of operant techniques in the classroom, especially with slow learners, was investigated, and several types of reinforcement were compared. Subjects were 129 fourth graders enrolled in a middle school in a disadvantaged rural Florida community. The subjects were stratified by race, sex, and homeroom and were randomly assigned to one of five…

Reports on a study that used positive reinforcement on a group of fourth and fifth graders to underscore the contingent relationship between student behavior and environment and thus develop a more internal locus of control. Shows that experimental subjects were significantly more internal than their placebo or control group counterparts following…

PAPERS OR STUDIES CONCERNED WITH THE APPLICATION OF BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION PRINCIPLES TO CHILDREN AND RETARDATES ARE INCLUDED IN THIS ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY. AUTHORS ARE LISTED ALPHABETICALLY. A SHORT PARAGRAPH DESCRIBES THE GENERAL NATURE OF EACH STUDY CITED, AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES ARE GIVEN. THERE ARE 130 ENTRIES IN THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY. (MS)