In October, 1967, the staff of the Work Opportunity Center (WOC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, began issuing coupons to students for attendance and achievement in classes. Each coupon is worth 10 cents when used toward noon lunches at the WOC cafeteria, dry cleaning services at WOC cleaners, or labor or services charges at the WOC auto service…

Two methods of scheduling reinforcement, differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) and differential reinforcement of low rates of responding (DRL), were investigated in two experiments that demonstrated each procedure's effectiveness in reducing misbehavior when used by teachers in school settings. A third experiment was undertaken to…

Matching a teaching method with a learner's style of learning is suggested as a most efficient way of creating an opportunity for a learning experience. Over 80 teaching strategies or models have been identified and categorized into four groups by educational theorists. The first group is identified as "social interaction models"; these emphasize…

All sixth grade pupils in the largest elementary school in New Orleans were involved in a study to assess the effects of social reinforcement on the use of library books. The number of library books used by both experimental and control groups was ascertained and compared. Standard arithmetic procedures were used to establish baseline,…

The general shortcomings of the traditional classroom reward structure are discussed in light of performance-reward principles of demonstrable effectiveness. Four alternative general reward structures are analyzed, and studies comparing their effectiveness are reviewed. Although none of the reward structures was found to be consistently superior…

This paper seeks to answer some of the questions asked by teachers and principals when a proposal for a token reinforcement system is introduced at a public school. The question of cost should not be a deterrent, since a well-planned token system puts little financial strain on a school, and the transition from tokens to social reinforcers can…

Three hypotheses were tested in this 6-week study: a) training in systematic application of strategies designed to reinforce desirable pupil behavior would enable the teacher to develop and maintain classroom control and increase pupil learning; b) desirable pupil behavior thus produced could be transferred from one classroom to another in which…

Compared in a junior high class of 12 educable mentally handicapped children were the effects on adaptive behaviors of a token reinforcement program involving only positive reinforcement and a token reinforcement program additionally involving response cost. The token reinforcement response cost condition allowed students to earn points for…

This study attempts to generate hypotheses concerning teacher performance in the classroom. Seventeen teachers were videotaped while teaching a lesson. Pupils completed an achievement test and a rating scale of these teachers which placed the teacher in a high-, medium, or low-effect group. A comparison of the frequency and types of questioning…

This report summarizes the efforts of a demonstration project at Prairie Elementary School in Urbana, Illinois to implement individualized reading and mathematics programs and to introduce the systematic application of behavior modification principles in the classroom. It describes the development, implementation, and revision of Individually…

A primary purpose of the present study was to further investigate the effects of children upon parents in order to gain a better understanding of the interactional relationship between parents and children. Subjects were 42 middle and upper-middle class parents and their daughters. Mothers and fathers were first observed separately with their…

A positive reinforcement system was designed to see if reinforcement procedures, proven effective in modifying a wide range of disruptive classroom behaviors, would be effective for children who are not particularly disruptive but who work so slowly and ponderously that they fail to make satisfactory academic progress. Subjects were five such slow…

Two experiments using paraprofessional personnel were conducted to determine effectiveness of a schoolwide token system on academic performance of trainable mentally retarded (TMR) children. The first experiment consisted of 42 TMRs in a 6-week summer program, in which reading, writing, and arithmetic were the behaviors studied. Pretest and…

Three studies were conducted to compare standard instruction with reinforcement programs for the trainable mentally retarded (TMR). In the first study, 24 TMRs were matched into two groups, with one group participating in a 6-week academic program having token reinforcement and the other group continuing in a standard teaching program. Statistical…

The hypothesis that first and second graders can improve reading skills by learning to type on electric typewriters was tested in this study. Other purposes of the research were to develop linguistic comprehension in Standard English, to produce introductory reading materials which promote phonic understanding as they fix typing-key strokes, and…