The physical environment of the school is often not designed to fit the needs of older teachers. (Author/JM)

The performance of five students (ages 6 to 10) in an adjustment class for deaf children was compared under fixed and variable ratio schedules of reinforcement. During the VR condition, students visually attended more and engaged in disruptive behavior less often than during the FR condition. (Author)

This review covers four general areas: modification of undesirable behavior; increasing competence; generalization and maintenance; and behavior analysis methods in assessing preschool procedures. These studies support the usefulness of behavioral analysis; however, a major problem is the lack of systematic follow-up or procedures encouraging…

The history and main features of organizational behavior management (OBM) are compared and integrated with those of total quality management (TQM), with emphasis on W.E. Deming's 14 points and OBM's operant-based approach to performance management. Interventions combining OBM, TQM, and statistical process control are recommended. (DB)

Describes the biological basis of learning and individuality. Presents an overview of recent discoveries that suggest learning engages a simple set of rules that modify the strength of connection between neurons in the brain. The changes are cited as playing an important role in making each individual unique. (MCO)

The visual acuity of 8 children, aged 2-7, with low vision and multiple handicaps was effectively tested using the Teller Acuity Cards and a preferential-looking procedure with operant modification. This inexpensive procedure was found to be suitable for at-home testing by itinerant vision specialists in developing countries or rural areas. (DB)

A discussion of the psychological impact of the African-American experience with the U.S. educational system focuses on how this psychological conditioning affects African-American students' performance on standardized tests and in college courses. It draws on theories of intellectual development and recent research on testing in African Americans…

Attempts to identify the psychological characteristics that predispose certain children to run away and to survive, often for long periods, on the streets of South Africa. Examines vulnerability and resilience as well as social conditions that mediate the psychological predisposition to become a street child. (Author/GCP)

Research has shown that a school building's condition affects student achievement and behavior and that certain facility design elements can improve the learning climate. An ideal CDC (cost-design-climate) associative environment has a balanced interrelationship among the three elements. Unnecessarily emphasizing one or more elements may seriously…

This paper discusses how to set up and implement a token economy system for students with behavior disorders in a classroom setting. The available literature is reviewed, and it is concluded that token economies have been proven effective in improving behavior among students with social and academic deficits. (Author/PB)

Presents an interview with Peter Harzem, the Hudson Professor of Psychology at Auburn University (Alabama). Addresses such issues as teaching students about behavior analysis, the differences between classical and operant conditioning, reinforcement and behaviorism, and how one can become a better teacher. (CMK)

The widely used Pavlovian fear-conditioning paradigms used for studying the neurobiology of learning and memory have mainly used auditory cues as conditioned stimuli (CS). The present work assessed the neural network involved in olfactory fear conditioning, using olfactory bulb stimulation-induced field potential signal (EFP) as a marker of…

A rapidly learned odor discrimination task based on spontaneous foraging behavior of the rat was used to evaluate the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors (NMDARs) in ongoing memory consolidation. Rats were trained in a single session to discriminate among three odors, one of which was associated with palatable food reward. Previous…

Extinction of conditioned fear in animals is the explicit model of behavior therapy for human anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Based on previous data indicating that fear extinction in rats is blocked by quinpirole, an agonist of dopamine D2 receptors, we hypothesized…

We investigated the influence of the protein synthesis blocker anisomycin on contextual memory in the terrestrial snail "Helix." Prior to the training session, the behavioral responses in two contexts were similar. Two days after a session of electric shocks (5 d) in one context only, the context conditioning was observed as the significant…