This study analyzed the mental distractions of students while reading a text. Ss were asked to press a switch to record mental distractions as they occurred, and a treatment was designed to attempt to reduce the number of distractions. The hypothesis related to the treatment effect was that students given explicit training to reduce distractions…

In testing Weiner's (1972) attribution theory of achievement behavior, success was found to produce (1) no differential attribution to effort for those high and low in achievement motivation, and (2) an early performance asymptote for those high in achievement motivation, while (3) it also facilitated performance independently of attributions. The…

A self-controlled problem-solving approach to the facilitation of effective behavior is presented. This approach involves training in the use of a cognitive strategy for dealing with real life problematic situations. An individual will progress through five phases with respect to real or hypothetical problematic situations. The first phase,…

This paper describes the processes of Monitored Play-Therapy, a method which seeks to measure the changes which may take place over a number of play therapy sessions. The laboratory is in use at Georgia State College in Atlanta and is designed for boys seven through twelve years of age. The Monitored Playroom Laboratory consists of a control booth…

There are many unanswered questions about play therapy. Monitored play therapy is an attempt to discover answers to these questions. The main emphasis is on quantitative recording and analysis of the process and outcome of play therapy. However, because of its newness, monitored play therapy also has some weaknesses. The main strong point is the…

The adolescent's exploration of himself and his relationship to other individuals, as well as the interaction between the social and physical environment and his own behavior are among the goals of the Identity Unit. The unit infuses these objectives with the cognitive components of a junior-senior English literature curriculum. This guide offers…

This study investigated the social behavior patterns of children who worked on a cooperative task. Several ways of increasing interdependence were explored, and the effects of such methods on task performance were determined. Seventy six same-sex triads of fourth and fifth graders were asked to cooperate in making a block-picture on a round board.…

This study examined the effects of differentially characterizing a model as "good", "bad", or "neutral" on preschool children's subsequent evaluation and imitation of the model. The model's aggressive and motor behaviors were more frequently imitated than were his non-aggressive and verbal behaviors. Instructions influenced the Ss' evaluation of…

The Infant-Infant Contact Code, developed to observe the social behavior in infants, is described. Results from using this scale with nine infants under nine months indicated that contacts between infants are complex in nature, that there are developmental changes in models of encounter, and that babies take different roles in relation to the…

Written in the form of programmed instruction, this book is designed to help parents and teachers understand and correct situations in which a child's behavior is distressing. The book utilizes the social learning approach (that people learn most behavior patterns from other people). The first section discusses how parents and children learn and…

This paper focuses on behavioral dimensions of playfulness: (1) in a developmental framework; and (2) in a situational framework. As a result of theoretical model building, it was hypothesized that there may be a resurgency of playfulness, assumed to be a personality trait of the player, in adolescents. The most significant finding is the…

The development of a test to measure Locus of Control (IE) in preschool is described. The test is administered individually to a child, who is preferably alone. The set of 40 questions of which the test is comprised posit the occurrence of some reinforcement, and ask the child what the contingencies for the occurrence of the reinforcement are. The…

This report reflects positions arrived at by the Task Force as a result of extensive literature reviews; site investigations; meetings and conferences; and interviews with parents, teachers, students, and administrators. The contents include (1) findings on the use and effect of physical punishment, (2) some suggested alternatives to the use of…

This program organizes and focuses "peer group attention" upon a 'focus person.' This person has volunteered and has set his personal goals which he hopes to turn into real action with the help of the peer group. A schedule of peer group reinforcement helps to transform his goals into habits. The program can be introduced generally, for class…

The 17-month (1967-1968) study summarized in this report concerned experimental analysis of the verbal behavior of disadvantaged preschool children (an interracial group of 28, ranging in age from 30 months to 42 months). Research was conducted in the verbal behavior laboratory at the University of Rochester and in a remodeled private home in a…