Investigated behavioral intervention to control child distress during invasive cancer treatment. Children (n=23) requiring physical restraint to complete venipuncture were alternately assigned to behavioral intervention or attention control condition. Observed child distress, parent-rated child distress, and parent ratings of own distress were…

Four autistic and severely handicapped children (ages 9-13) were taught to recruit or set the occasion for praise from an adult. After the structured instruction, the children used these behaviors in all generalization settings and were frequently successful in recruiting praise. (Author/DB)

Two Likert-type scales were used by 25 undergraduates to assess their reading and writing; assessments were compared to those of three judges. The study found a significant relationship between self-evaluation accuracy and reading and writing performance. Prior positive reinforcement did not significantly relate to reading or writing achievement.…

This commentary by the president of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired uses a football analogy to point out the importance of positive reinforcement and encouragement in mutual support of colleagues working in the difficult field of rehabilitation. (DB)

Five children with autism participated in learning sessions involving trials of an acquisition task interspersed with trials of three maintenance tasks. Correct responses to acquisition tasks were continuously reinforced throughout all conditions; reinforcement for competent performance of maintenance tasks differed systematically. All children…

Secondary students (n=110) with disabilities rated 90 potential reinforcers. Results indicated that, although student preferences represent a range of reinforcers within existing reinforcement hierarchies, the sample group tended to prefer less intrusive higher level reinforcers, with the overwhelming majority preferring academic or activity…

Examined usefulness of independent group contingency system for decreasing inappropriate behaviors. Twenty-five fourth graders in regular classrooms participated in intervention, which involved public posting system using positive reinforcement for desired behaviors. Targeted behaviors showed marked decreases across eight-week treatment period and…

A study involving an exemplary high school found an organizational culture that cut across all school groups, including students. A set of reinforcing elements were identified, including commitment of administrators, parents, and teachers to academic study and students who associated academic success with material success. (13 references) (MLH)

The behavior of special education students (age 12 and 16) was evaluated as they were presented with 2 academic response alternatives on concurrent reinforcement schedules. Both subjects allocated higher rates of responses to the richer schedule of reinforcement, although only 1 responded exclusively to the richer schedule. (Author/JDD)

Many educators advocate praise as a reward for good student behavior. However, praise has little value when perceived as an evaluation or an undeserved compliment. Rather than spontaneously punctuating each student's actions with accolades, educators should become more informed about praise and more selective in its use. (MLH)

Reviews research into the effects of praise on students. Suggests an approach that gets students to focus on their potential to learn, to value challenge, and to concentrate on effort and learning processes in the face of obstacles. This can all be done while holding students to rigorous standards. (SLD)

Five adolescents with autism, 5 control participants, and 4 child controls received rewards for varying their sequences of responses while playing a computer game. In preceding and following phases, rewards were provided at approximately the same rate but were independent of variability. When reinforced, variability increased significantly in all…

A study assessed the effectiveness of using objects of obsession as token reinforcers to increase task performance of three children (ages 7-9) with autism. Results indicated that percentage correct on task performance was higher when objects of obsession were used as tokens as opposed to when typical tokens were used. (Author/CR)

The present experiment arranged a series of inverted U-shaped feedback functions relating reinforcer rate to response rate to test whether responding was consistent with an optimization account or with a one-to-one relation of response rate to reinforcer rate such as linear system theory's rate equation or Herrnstein's hyperbola. Reinforcer rate…

Working with difficult students inspired Mellie Cope and Sally Hundley to initiate a new program at their middle school in fall 2002. Based on their previous success with students who were difficult to teach, the teachers titled their new program the Saoi ("see") program. In this article, Mellie Cope and Sally Hundley, along with Vicky Faircloth…