William James, the turn of the century psychologist, philospher, and educator, was avidly interested in the relationship between psychology and teaching. This paper considers operant conditioning, timing of reinforcers, and programmed instruction--touchstones of B.F. Skinner in the teaching/learning milieu. Of course, materials not just methods…

This guide describes methods to help parents and others reduce the unacceptable behaviors of children with multiple sensory impairments and replace those behaviors with acceptable ones. The guide recommends that the behavior change program begin with simple changes so that both the parents and the child gain experience in changing behavior. The…

Only recently has the question of why being in a good mood facilitates prosocial behavior been pursued. Two experiments investigated the role of pleasurable mood in: (1) choice bets as a measure of riskiness, a variable possibly implicated in helping behaviors, and (2) allocation of funds among categories intended to vary along a prosocial…

This booklet is about changing human behavior in everyday settings in the school and home. The approach to human behavior outlined is called "behavior analysis," which is based on that approach to psychology called the exerimental analysis of behavior. The ABC model of behavior is explained. In this model, the A refers to the "antecedent" that…

This study discusses a plan designed for a ten-year-old emotionally disturbed boy which included positive feedback for academic achievement and positive social emotional feedback from peers. The results indicated that in the changed class classroom environment, the frequency of maladaptive behaviors decreased. (Author/PC)

Outlines some positive steps for reducing the undesirable classroom behavior of preschool children. (ED)

An adolescent's learning patterns are developed throughout the student's socialization process, suggesting that peer pressure may influence learning. Female college students (N=15) aged 19-21 participated in a pencil-maze learning task performed while blindfolded. The task was presented in three categories of stimuli conditions: (1) normal…

A study assessed the relationship of the independent variables of interpersonal attraction to the dependent variables of feeling good, relational safety, and uncertainty level. Subjects were 75 elementary and secondary school teachers, 61 communication students, 18 child development professionals, and 8 service club members. Each subject completed…

TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERING TEACHER REINFORCEMENT BEHAVIOR ON STUDENTS, 21 MIDDLE-CLASS AND 12 LOWER-CLASS MALE NINTH- AND 10TH-GRADE REMEDIAL READING STUDENTS WERE SHOWN TWO FILMS. THE FIRST DEPICTED A "POSITIVE" TEACHER WHO CONSISTENTLY REWARDED CORRECT RESPONSES WHILE NEGLECTING INCORRECT ONES, AND THE SECOND SHOWED A…

This study investigated the relative effectiveness of books on reading achievement scores when earned by under-achieving readers in a student tutoring program. Fifty-three fifth grade students who were in below grade level classroom reading groups and who scored from six months to three years below grade level on at least one of two reading…

The objective of the present study was to explore whether the concepts of immediate and delayed reward have any relevance to the content of the mewspaper. In his theory of instrumental and expressive activities, Himmelstrand suggests that instrumental activities tend to have a cumulative structure while expressive activities will have a…

A study involving 20 emotionally disturbed boys (9- to 11-years-old) was conducted to determine the effects of tactile and verbal reinforcement on attention to task and accuracy. Ss were given arithmetic problems to work during 16 20-minute sessions under four conditions: tactile reinforcement (intermittent touch pressure applied to Ss shoulders…

An overcorrection procedure was developed and used to eliminate drooling and tongue thrusting in two 5-year-old speech and language impaired females (one cerebral palsied and the other with an inherited disease of the autonomic nervous system). The procedure, which involved positive reinforcement paired with a verbal warning, eliminated one…