This curriculum guide, one of six modules keyed to the building maintenance competency profile developed by industry and education professionals, provides materials for two units on electrical procedures and environmental control systems. Unit 1, on electrical procedures, includes the following lessons: electrical safety; troubleshooting and…

Operant conditioning techniques were used to modify verbal behavior in 18 institutionalized, trainable mentally handicapped mongoloids with chronological ages from 4-6 to 7-10 and mental ages from 2.0 to 2.10. Two instruments were constructed to evaluate language: a language test and a speech rating scale. Project leaders had no prior knowledge of…

Two similarly large buildings and air conditioning systems are comparatively analyzed as to energy consumption, costs, and inefficiency during certain measured periods of time. Building design and velocity systems are compared to heating, cooling, lighting and distribution capabilities. Energy requirements for pumps, fans and lighting are found to…

Based on the assumption that inferential statistics can make the operant conditioner more sensitive to possible significant relationships, regressions models were developed to test the statistical significance between slopes and Y intercepts of the experimental and control group subjects. These results were then compared to the traditional operant…

This book published in 1986 introduces students to psychology and its related subject areas. Students learn that psychology has matured through the centuries from its taboo beginnings in supernatural beliefs and magic to its current status as a scientific discipline. Sections of the book include: (1) "What is Psychology?"; (2) "Human Development";…

This article examines the idea that social norms are not permanently incorporated into a person's personality. The author presents the argument that in a group situation subjects are conditioned toward similarity while afterward, the individual's behavior gradually returns to an "operant level". Tests show this argument to be essentially true.…

The functional spaces of this school are organized to require two instead of three roof-top air-conditioning penthouses. (Available from 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, $15.00 annually.) (Author/MLF)

An experimental psychology course which analyzes the broad probability of operant conditioning is described. (DE)

To replicate a study purporting to show positive effects of facilitative interpersonal functioning in a conditioning paradigm, 32 subjects were verbally conditioned within an experiment designed to vary preexperiment interview, facilitative level of the experimenter, and contingency of reinforcement. The present study failed to substantiate the…

Investigated were the effects of reinforcement contingencies in two different arithmetic situations--acquisition and proficiency with seven 8-11 year-old learning disabled boys. (Author/DB)

This study assesses the effect of speech-anxious subjects acting as behavior therapists for other speech-anxious subjects. Subjects were divided into helper, helpee, latent helper, and waiting list control groups. Both helpers and helpees significantly reduced speech anxiety. The helpers showed more absolute improvement than the other groups.…

A successful behavior modification technique using a punch card to reward good behavior has been developed to teach exceptional children new academic, social and emotional behavior. (Author/CL)

The author analyzes the traditional, theoretical-behavioral, and theoretical-cognitive field learning theories. Since there is no general theory of learning agreed upon by all practitioners, the author develops a set of working principles to guide the working social studies teacher. (DE)