Discusses the positive effects of contingent rewards (verbal praise and house-points) as effective reinforcers of correct handwriting responses in elementary classrooms. Points out that direct contingency rewards proved effective in changing behavior, while implicit contingency rewards possessed aversive qualities. (JD)

The author asserts that students can get "hooked" on praise to the point that they limit their creativity and manipulate others in search of it. He notes that teachers too may use praise manipulatively. He suggests ways for kicking this habit, primarily through more objective reinforcement messages. Three educators respond. (SJL)

Negative reinforcement drinkers scored significantly and consistently higher on all alcohol consumption indices, and data from an alcoholic sample showed that 93 percent of the alcoholics would be classified as escape drinkers. (Author)

Having writers ask questions about their own papers promotes commitment to the revising and proofreading process. Students can ask teachers or peers the following: (1) What do you like about my paper? (2) What questions do you have about my paper? (3) What kinds of polishing does my paper need? (RL)

Recreational reading was encouraged in a sixth-grade class through a "Famous People Auction Project." For each book read and reported on during the year, students accumulated play money, with which they could bid at an auction for mementoes the teacher had solicited from celebrities. (SJL)

By use of student-selected consequences and an individual token reinforcement program, a special education student's habitual slouching in his chair was decreased and other positive behavior changes occurred. Procedures were carried out in the usual classroom setting, required only available school personnel and an inexpensive reward. (DS)

Examines the effects of reward contingency and positive performance feedback on subsequent intrinsic motivation for an enjoyable task. Subjects were 93 high school students. (CM)

Examines the effects of frequency and contingency of reinforcement on the social deprivation-satiation phenomenon. Third- and fourth-grade children were given pretraining involving variations of reinforcement in the form of praise. In a subsequent discrimination test, correct responses were consistently praised. (Author/SS)

Describes study which investigated differences between Programmed Student Achievement (PA) and Programmed Achievement Study System (PASS) instructional systems. Concludes that both systems are equally effective in motivating students. (KC)

Those evaluating teacher behavior were highly influenced by verbal remarks that led them to expect either excellent or poor performance. (Editor)

A study of 2 boys (ages 11 and 16) with mental retardation and destructive behaviors investigated whether alternative stimuli identified through a choice assessment would substitute for attention in a noncontingent reinforcement procedure. Both continuous noncontingent access to attention and to the identified tangible item reduced destructive…

The efficacy of different schedules of reinforcement (progressive and fixed) for promoting and sustaining cigarette abstinence was compared using 60 cigarette smokers. Results found that the progressive and fixed groups achieved greater levels of abstinence than controls and that the progressive group was less likely to resume smoking. (Author/CR)

A study of three children (ages 3-9) with severe problem behavior investigated alternatives to the typical application of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) for problem behavior. Instead of using continuous access to reinforcers and extinction, the study found that an NCR schedule based on latency and NCR without extinction were more effective for…

Public schools that use punitive approaches toward student discipline can unwittingly promote violence and other antisocial behavior. This article reviews constructive and preventive methods to reduce school violence and vandalism. Various strategies are presented and discussed. (Contains 62 references.) (Author)