Incentive and behavior were investigated in the study focusing upon a comparison of the effects of response cost (for errors) and response reward (for correct responses) on verbal performance of mentally retarded subjects. (KW)

Based in part on a PhD dissertation (Irwin) submitted to the University of Pennsylvania.

Use of tokens as positive reinforcers for correct responses in speech therapy and no consequences for incorrect responses was compared with the use of tokens contingent upon correct responses and loss of tokens for incorrect responses. (Author)

Time-out from positive reinforcement was found to have a suppressive effect when the response alternative was reinforced with the same frequency as the punished response. When the response alternative was a response for which positive reinforcement had been withdrawn, time-out was significantly preferred. (MH)

The advantages of emphasizing discrete trials "teaching" over discrete trials "training" are presented first, followed by a discussion of discrete trials as a method of teaching that emerged historically--and as a matter of necessity for difficult learners such as those with autism--from discrete trials as a method for laboratory research. The…

The negative effects of false information presented either prior to (proactive interference; PI) or following (retroactive interference; RI) true information was examined with word definitions (Experiment 1) and trivia facts (Experiment 2). Participants were explicitly aware of which information was true and false when shown, and true-false…

In this article, the author discusses the distinction between positive and negative reinforcement and some additional considerations. He states that the concept of negative reinforcement has caused confusion, and he believes that the difficulty stems from conventions of ordinary speech, in which the term "negative" usually denotes the opposite of…

The author discusses several organizational and individual factors that lead to loss of motivation and explains how the psychological contract between employer and employee which is made during the initial interview is a critical factor. The demotivation process is more specifically examined as a sequential process including confusion, anger,…

Discussed are guidelines concerning informed consent by parents and guardians when aversive treatments for developmentally delayed persons are considered, and provided is a model consent form. (IM)

In general, the study confirmed the prediction that learning of a discrimination under punishment or a reward-punishment condition is superior to that under reward alone. (Authors)

Response cost (punishment) decreased stuttering below the baserate frequency for three adult male stutterers, but when reintroduced after pairing with reinforcement, one subject's rate of stuttering did not immediately decrease, suggesting that punishment for stuttering may acquire discriminative attributes after systematic pairing with a…