A teacher describes her efforts to deal with an 11-year-old severely emotionally impaired girl in a classroom with other acting out, aggressive students. The girl's behavior problems included breaking, tearing, spitting, swearing, running, and sexual aggression. A positive reinforcedment system was found to be primarily responsible for success in…

In an experiment designed to explore the immediate disconfirming effects of strong and mild incongruent messages and the impact of certain contextual constraints on disconfirming effects, 192 male undergraduates evaluated videotaped examples of strong and mild sarcasm and joking and the complementary congruent forms of straightforward positive and…

Behavior can be modified because it is governed by its consequences. Observable behavior, excluding its causes, is modified by the application of techniques derived from B.F. Skinner's operant learning theory. Optimum effects can be achieved only after thorough knowledge of the child is gained, particularly in the area of his capabilities. The…

A microcounseling approach was used to conduct a study of an experimental training program. The objective was to train naive college students, who were interested in counseling, to assess clients' attitudes toward guidance tests. A correlation of .797 was obtained between clients' ratings of attitudes toward tests and the trainees' ratings of…

In the first of three studies, A Nonverbal Technique for Studying Music Preference, a free operant technique was used for determining the type of music most preferred, and therefore most likely to function as a reinforcer, for 66 retarded children (ages 9-20, IQ range 34-69). In the second study, Effects of Noncontingent Music on Addition…

This study investigated the effectiveness of operant conditioning procedures in stimulating intermediate elementary students to constructively utilize free time for pursuing occupational information. (RC)

Children having academic and behavior problems may benefit from a contract drawn up by the teacher identifying specific behaviors that should be changed. Agreed upon and understood by student, teacher, and parents, the contract becomes an effective teaching tool. (JD)

This study was designed to assess the influence of "Sesame Street" and "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," two popular children's television programs, on the social behavior of 26 children. (BRT)

The study found that in the absence of a history of negative consequences, an all-positive management system for eight first- through third-grade children with academic and/or classroom behavioral problems was not sufficient to maintain on-task rates of academic accuracy. The addition of negative consequences immediately improved on-task behavior…

Evaluation of the effect of three conditions (reinforcement, self-monitoring, and self-monitoring plus reinforcement) on the productivity rates of three mentally retarded adults employed in a sheltered workshop indicated that reinforcement was most effective when combined with self-monitoring. (Author/DB)

To help the beginning teacher successfully manage and discipline students, a list of 36 techniques is provided. This includes suggestions on acting as a role model, developing individual student relationships, managing time, and more. (JL)

Four basic social learning principles are presented along with examples of how each is utilized first to learn delinquent behavior and then in helping delinquents change. (Author/LHW)

Investigated which skills are valued by parents who are enrolled in either a positively oriented behavioral parenting group or a consensus parenting group that emphasized communication and negotiation skills. Results indicated positive reinforcement was the most valued technique for the behaviorally oriented parenting group. For the consensus…

Based on observations of children ages 21-25 months in play groups, investigates reactions of both peers and teachers to behaviors that could be identified and coded as male, female, or neutral. (Author/NH)