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…

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…

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)

This paper reviews the functional properties and procedural variations of differential reinforcement for the reduction of behavior disorders in individuals with developmental disabilities. The paper proposes that limited success may be a result of the arbitrary relationship that exists between reinforcers and target behaviors when behavioral…

This learning module has been designed to aid the teacher trainee in identifying ways in which he influences student behavior in the classroom and also explores means of selecting more meaningful reinforcers and their application. Terminal objectives of the module are the ability to (1) define the terms "reinforcement,""positive…

This study investigates the relationship between social-class factors and patterns of reinforcement used by preschool children when instructing younger peers. It was hypothesized that middle class Caucasian children would spontaneously use more positive reinforcements and lower class children more negative reinforcements when interacting with…

This book contains a widely used method for structuring learning in a positive environment. The material is presented in a workshop format. Each unit should be read and worked on for one week; the teachers should then meet to exchange ideas. Unit 1 discusses behavior, and informs the reader that if he/she wants to influence a change in behavior,…

Classroom management and what teachers can do to make it possible for children to behave better, which permits learning to occur, are the subjects of this handbook. The authors hypothesize that the first step toward better classroom management is a teacher's recognition that how children behave is largely determined by the teacher's behavior. When…