We attempted to isolate the evocative effects of the establishing operation for positively reinforced problem behavior with 2 participants. The study consisted of three phases. First, a functional analysis identified tangible items (Participant 1) and attention (Participant 2) as maintaining problem behavior. Second, access to tangible items and…

Children with autism and related disabilities frequently fail to develop echoic repertoires. Among the ways in which treatment approaches vary is the extent to which automatic reinforcement is utilized. The present experiment was designed to test the efficacy of a procedure that incorporates automatic reinforcement and socially mediated…

Functional analyses were conducted for the problem behavior of 3 older adults in a long-term care setting. Two of the problem behaviors were maintained by attention, and a third was maintained by escape from demands. Function-based interventions were implemented that resulted in decreases in problem behavior in each case. Implications for the use…

This article presents the processes and outcomes of a year of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support in a North Texas elementary school serving kindergarten through grade 3 students. Included is a description of a school treatment package that incorporated components such as facilitation of the teaming process, a lottery-type system of intermittent…

In recent years, there has been much discussion of the efficacy of mental health interventions for children as well as the transportation of empirically-supported treatments (ESTs) to field settings. A logical initial step in this line of research is to examine whether the efficacy of ESTs can be demonstrated in community settings such as in the…

R. Epstein criticizes an article by P. Balsam and A. Bondy which urged caution in the use of reinforcement techniques. Epstein cites logic problems and notes the complexity of interventions. Balsam and Bondy respond and restate their basic argument. (CL)

Shaping behavior by reinforcing a series of successive approximations is discussed, and procedures for promoting internal shaping in children are described. Instructions are given for the "shaping game," by which parents and children can learn the techniques. (CL)

The eye poking behavior of a six-year-old blind child was significantly reduced during orientation and mobility training through the use of a differential reinforcement for the omission of behavior program. The program was significant in terms of magnitude of behavior change, practical applicability, and adherence to least restrictive strategies.…

The study use of three schedules of reinforcement to investigate the impact of reinforcement probability on transfer of stimulus control. Transfer was accelerated when reinforcement probability favored anticipatory responding. The schedule that favored prompted responses did not prevent a shift to unprompted responding. Errors were infrequent…

A manual to teach parents how to help their six children (3-11 years old) overcome fear of the dark included desensitization, reinforcemnt, and verbal self-control statements. Data indicated that all children were sleeping all night with the rheostat set at criterion level or lower within two weeks after initiation of treatment. (Author/CL)

Juniors in three high schools were selected for the study. Findings: (1) Both reinforcement groups were effective in reducing students' feelings of alienation; (2) There were no significant differences between effects of model reinforcement and verbal reinforcement counseling; (3) There was no interaction between counselors and treatments or…

Results of the study involving three autistic Ss (four to six-years-old) showed rapid acquisition of target behaviors only when the target behavior was a direct part of the chain leading to the reinforcer. (Author)

The hypothesis that children with ADHD learn poorly under conditions of inconsistent reinforcement because they are easily frustrated and fail to develop persistence was investigated (N=22). Effects of partial and continuous reinforcement on measures of frustration, learning performance, and persistence were studied. Findings suggest that partial…

The purpose of the current experiment was to investigate the role of private verbal behavior on the operant performances of human adults, using a protocol analysis procedure with additional methodological controls (the "silent dog" method). Twelve subjects were exposed to fixed ratio 8 and differential reinforcement of low rate 3-s schedules. For…

Escape extinction has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for children exhibiting food refusal. To date, most studies have been conducted in inpatient treatment settings by trained clinicians. Few studies have evaluated the extent to which caregivers are able to implement efficacious interventions in their home for their food-selective…