When positive reinforcement is used consistently, it encourages desirable or appropriate behavior, although modifying or extinguishing undesirable behavior. Descriptive reinforcement involves using the student's name, choosing the appropriate praise words, and describing what the student did to merit praise. A box contains 110 examples. (MLH)

This article explores the legacy of Adlerian approaches to behaviour. Mike Blamires offers an opportunity to consider the impact of Adler's premise that education is fundamentally about encouragement and the promotion of democratic principles. In so doing he challenges us to interrogate the term "behaviour management", and its current use by…

Not all volunteers respond the same way to the same stimuli. The purpose of this article is to suggest several ways to nurture volunteers in a library media center setting. Some might respond best to a printed word of appreciation or recognition in a district newsletter, while others would value a book or pin as a gift. Perks, like allowing…

In this article, the author discusses the distinction between positive and negative reinforcement and some additional considerations. He states that the concept of negative reinforcement has caused confusion, and he believes that the difficulty stems from conventions of ordinary speech, in which the term "negative" usually denotes the opposite of…

Factors that influence choice between qualitatively different reinforcers (e.g., a food item or a break from work) are important to consider when arranging treatments for problem behavior. Previous findings indicate that children who engage in problem behavior maintained by escape from demands may choose a food item over the functional reinforcer…

A functional analysis showed that noncompliance occurred most often for 2 preschoolers when it resulted in termination of a preferred activity, suggesting that noncompliance was maintained by positive reinforcement. A differential reinforcement procedure, which involved contingent access to coupons that could be exchanged for uninterrupted access…

There is increasing concern over the number of young children who exhibit challenging behaviors in early childhood settings. Comprehensive prevention models are needed to support teachers' management of challenging behaviors and to avert the development of such behaviors within at-risk populations. One approach utilizes a three-tier prevention…

The focus of this qualitative research study is the examination of academic interventions implemented by special education behavioral teachers, special education behavioral paraprofessionals, and general education teachers who work daily with students with emotional disturbance. "Which academic interventions did special education behavioral…

In recent years teachers within the classroom have experienced an increase in the off-task behaviors of students. The purpose of this action research project was to increase on-task behavior through development of classroom social skills. The causes may be a lack of social skills, outside influences, presentation of materials, students not…

Although experts in early childhood mental health services make clear the need to infuse mental health services into all program components, many have suggested that the mental health services in the majority of Head Start programs are narrowly focused and that mental health consultants are often used in limited ways (see D. J. Cohen, Solnit, &…

Twenty-four male undergraduates viewed 102 slides containing occupational titles and stated whether or not each represented a realistic career choice. The experimental subjects received positive verbal reinforcement on the second trial for realistic responses. More experimental subjects than control subjects demonstrated an operant pattern of…

Explained for special teachers of emotionally disturbed children are interaction with positive consequences and interaction with negative consequen ces to modify behavior. (MC)

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)

This research was designed to facilitate theory building regarding praise as a generalized reinforcer. (HMV)