Members of personal growth groups were more accepting of positive feedback than of negative feedback; however, receiver defensiveness levels were not related to feedback acceptance. (Author)

The author responds to a study which suggested that token reinforcement is redundant in stating and shaping fluent speech within a stuttering program. He cites methodological differences as well as procedural differences in the treatment programs mentioned. (Author/CL)

The relationship between willingness to delay reinforcement and two controllable factors, history of reinforcement and experimenter familiarity, was explored. Results showed that subjects' familiarity with the experimenter, not reinforcement history, was the key variable in determining willingness to delay reward. (Author/SB)

The author summarizes the characteristics of contingency management systems in university classes, briefly describes one such system and discusses decisions that must be made by instructors who would teach such a course. (AA)

The ideal training system recognizes that most performance problems are execution problems: lack of feedback, task interference, or punishment--and rarely motivation. As an initial place for study, the ideal training system works backward from company profits to choose areas contributing most to profit. (EB)

Makes a case for the use of affirmation (discriminating praise) in teaching creative writing. (SB)

Thirty-two normal-hearing adults rating their own lipreading performance produced self-ratings that did not correlate with actual performance. Experimental subjects who then received verbal encouragement subsequently gave themselves higher self-ratings of performance, even though actual lipreading performance did not improve. (JDD)

Presented is a list of reinforcers appropriate for use in contingency management systems with secondary-level students with disabilities. The reinforcers are organized into the following categories: edible reinforcers, tangible reinforcers, activity reinforcers, social reinforcers, and group reinforcement. Suggestions are provided for using the…

The article presents a practical sequence for setting up a group reward system and offers guidelines for decisions concerning program implementation and termination. (DB)

Realizing that custodians needed help with cafeteria cleanup and lunchtime discipline, a Michigan elementary school developed a Custodial Assistant Program enlisting the energies of 12 fifth and sixth graders who needed help in improving self-concept and behavior. In exchange for cleaning the cafeteria and playground, these students receive many…

In spite of the proven research studies that cite the beneficial effects of a positive, assets-based approach to child development and discipline (Scales, 2000; Jones & Jones, 1998; Benson, Galbraith, & Espeland, 1994), numerous school systems adhere to the articulation of tiered levels of misconduct, which identify minor to severe types of…

Turkish mothers' self-efficacy beliefs and their interactional behaviors with their children with language delays are described and explored. Participants included 19 mother-child dyads. Mothers' interaction with their children with language delays was videotaped for 30 minutes in a free-play context. Regarding mothers' interactional behaviors,…