The investigation was initiated in an attempt to identify action programs which may help the socioeconomically deprived overcome the psychological degradation and injury to the self-esteem which result from the negative evaluation society has placed upon them. A sample of approximately 200 fourth and fifth grade school students was randomly…

Individual contracts between the student and instructor are used as a means of modifying behavior in reading and study situations. Desirable behavior is described, and suitable performances of such behavior are outlined. Adult students agree to attempt to modify their behavior during a designated amount of time in order to meet their contracts.…

This study identified pertinent dimensions to be emphasized by future "conjoint family help" (CFH) counselors. These CFH's worked with entire families in their homes for an hour on a regular basis. The investigator believed that his objective could be achieved on the basis of his assessment of change in family members as reflected in their…

To attack the problem of reading deficiencies of inner-city school children, the investigators designed an intensive reading program. Thirty-two low-achieving sixth-grade children were assigned to experimental and control groups for 9 weeks. Materials were selected not only on the basis of their instructional usefulness but with regard for the…

To fabricate a technology for teaching young school children with serious behavior problems, classroom materials, curriculum format, and teaching procedures were developed, and problems that evolve from the technology investigated. Two classrooms were architecturally designed to provide the basic needs of a special classroom and to facilitate…

The text of Volume 4 represents an international review of research in mental retardation dealing primarily with human and animal laboratory behavior. The contents range through the following topics: memory processes in retardates and normals by Norman Ellis; a theory of primary and secondary familial mental retardation by Arthur Jensen;…

Development of this 6-part inservice program making major use of programed instruction began in 1969 with the objective of modifying classroom teacher behavior in the direction of individualizing the instruction of students learning to control standard English. A review of literature on dialects gave some guidance toward determining the…

This paper seeks to answer some of the questions asked by teachers and principals when a proposal for a token reinforcement system is introduced at a public school. The question of cost should not be a deterrent, since a well-planned token system puts little financial strain on a school, and the transition from tokens to social reinforcers can…

A rationale for language intervention is outlined according to two basic dimensions (increased output and knowledge of language) and their respective strategies (operant procedures and a psycholinguistic model). Thus, behavior modification and transformational grammar are viewed as complementary for an efficient language intervention program. The…

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a method for assessing change in communicative behavior--i.e., any observable behavior change manifested by students during a communicative situation in the classroom. Using a testing instrument specifically designed to measure these changes, 16 trained raters, four untrained raters, and six…

Selected papers on behavioral disorders include the following: aggression as an indicator for rehabilitative efforts by Herbert Grossman; the evaluation of differential low rate conditioning procedures on destructive behavior by Christine Walken; a modification for non-directive therapy by Robert V. Turner; Piaget, Skinner and a comprehensive…

This paper describes the conceptual framework of a research methodology developed by the Region II Rehabilitation Research Institute, designed to permit the study of an important set of problems confronting sheltered workshops. The main problem is centered in the issues of work as work and of work as mode of behavior change. It has become apparent…

What needs to be done with preschool programs is to define specifically their desired product (the behaviors we want in the children) and to determine the optimal process by which this product can be brought about. Using an instrument called the Observation of Substantive Curricular Input in 1967-68, a coding system based on a series of 3-minute…

This paper presents a discussion of encounter groups, their place in psychology today, their limitations and values. The purpose of encounter groups is always one of facilitating the growth of the person, and of teaching individuals how to communicate more effectively with each other. Encounter groups are particularly appropriate for the person…

This teachers guide in behavior modification is divided into five chapters. Chapter one, "Describing Behavior," presents methods for specifying behaviors in precise wording, labeling behavior, and deciding on the target behavior (behavior designated for modification). Chapter two, "Measuring Behavior," describes and illustrates by means of graphs…