Two studies were conducted to determine how gender and age moderate the long-term and post-failure motivational consequences of person versus performance praise. In Study 1, fourth- and fifth-grade students (n = 93) engaged in a puzzle task while receiving either no praise, person praise, product praise, or process praise. Following a subsequent…

The effects of verbal feedback and verbal feedback plus praise on staff training behaviors were assessed through a multiple baseline design in an adult residential area for mentally retarded individuals. Initial results of this study show both procedures to be effective in improving staff training skills. (Author/CL)

Members of personal growth groups were more accepting of positive feedback than of negative feedback; however, receiver defensiveness levels were not related to feedback acceptance. (Author)

Thirty-two normal-hearing adults rating their own lipreading performance produced self-ratings that did not correlate with actual performance. Experimental subjects who then received verbal encouragement subsequently gave themselves higher self-ratings of performance, even though actual lipreading performance did not improve. (JDD)

Argues, in response to Kohn's article in the same "Kappan" issue, that honest feedback on student performance (informational rewards) are usually necessary for initial learning to occur successfully. Some rewards do work and have long-term benefits. The current philosophy of assigning teachers a facilitative role renders them impotent and blames…

The present study examined the linkage between pre-adolescent children's depressive symptoms and their preferences for receiving positive vs. negative feedback subsequent to being faced with an experimentally manipulated peer evaluation outcome in real time. Participants (n = 142) ages 10 to 13, played a computer contest based on the television…

Internal and external locus of control subjects were tested on three verbal recognition memory tasks. Subjects administered self-reinforcement on first and third tasks. The second task was accompanied by experimenter reinforcement. There were no differences in self-reinforcement base rate but there were several significant and contrasting changes…

In the context of a "reinforced practice" treatment paradigm, the present study experimentally analyzed whether or not feedback superimposed upon contingent praise would have an additive therapeutic effect. (Author)

The effectiveness of a procedure which combined prompting and reinforcement principles to modify behavior relevant to environmental pollution was studied. During treatment customers entering a grocery store were handed a circular which urged them to buy drinks in returnable bottles (i.e., prompting); after making a purchase, customers were given…

Accuracy of imitation by 60 kindergarten subjects was examined using a task in which a female modeled a series of pegboard patterns and delivered accuracy contingent feedback. Four methods of feedback and a no-feedback control were compared. (GO)

The differential effects of contingent reward (candy), punishment (loss of candy), and knowledge of results (KOR) were investigated in eighty 9- to 10-year-old males. Level of performance of groups receiving KOR was significantly higher than performance on groups rewarded or punished with candy. (MS)

Some practices intended to foster self-esteem may instead contribute to self-preoccupation. Self-esteem is fostered when children have opportunities to build self-confidence through effort, persistence, and acquisition of skills, knowledge, and appropriate behavior. Rather than overpraise children, teachers should treat them with respect, solicit…

Commencing each class session with a class quiz, which emphasizes the previous week's work and is supported by immediate feedback, encourages students to revise their notes ahead of the session, undertake more reading and keep pace with course progression. It reduces the necessity for any spoken review of the previous week's work, provides…

This study evaluated the effects of visual performance feedback (VPF) on teacher use of behavior-specific praise. In addition to receiving individual VPF, teachers participated in group consultation focused on increasing competence in the use of behavior-specific praise. Three general education elementary teachers and six students participated in…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of three treatments of knowledge of results on the acquisition of an open complex motor skill requiring speed and accuracy (coincidence-anticipation). The 75 volunteer male subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. One group was given informative knowledge of results;…