This book contains a widely used method for structuring learning in a positive environment. The material is presented in a workshop format. Each unit should be read and worked on for one week; the teachers should then meet to exchange ideas. Unit 1 discusses behavior, and informs the reader that if he/she wants to influence a change in behavior,…

Reviewed are some of the most effective behavior modification techniques for use with learning disabled (LD) children. Compared are the medical, psychometric, and behavioral models of LD; and discussed are the criteria used for classifying LD. Principles of applying motivational techniques such as selecting an effective reinforcer are considered.…

The subject of this bulletin is achieving better discipline through the use of contingency management. Part 1 discusses the basic beliefs of behaviorists and the basic principles of behaviorism. It states that all human beings do what they do in pursuit of some variety or combination of tangible reinforcers, social reinforcers, and intangible…

Much emphasis in the literature has been given to the idea that counselors can teach their clients self-management procedures and that through these procedures the clients can learn to solve their own problems. The concept of self-management as applied to the counselor education process and more specifically to the modification of counselor…

This paper deals with problems of measuring change in motor behavior. Conventional measurement procedures and statistical analyses involving change are presented in the first section. This section discusses difference scores as the criterion measure and the use of all scores as the dependent variables. This latter category involves using either…

This study examined the relationship of tutorial enrichment of cognitive processes and reinforcement of lengthened response latency to measurements of impulsivity in 3- and 4-year-old children in a typical preschool setting. In a pretest-posttest control group design, 48 impulsive subjects (24 male and 24 female) were randomly assigned to tutorial…

Wilderness, as a state of mind, has persisted among men since the beginning of time. Written history has documented man's struggle with and against it. It has only been during the last century that man, in a societal context, has designated vast tracts of land as wilderness. The extent to which wilderness attributes are perceived and the meaning…

Presented is an overview of the history and current methods and a review of some critical issues related to behavior modification. Behavior modification is defined, and examples of methods such as positive reinforcement, aversive control, and systematic desensitization are provided. Summarized are evaluations of the effectiveness of behavior…

Internal-External Locus of Control refers to the extent to which persons perceive contingency relationships between their actions and subsequent outcomes. Those who believe they have some control over payoffs in their lives are called "Internals.""Externals," on the other hand, believe consequences are directed by agents outside of themselves.…

A field experiment was carried out at the Recruit Training Command, San Diego, to test the effectiveness of utilizing the PLATO IV computer-based, on-line system for behavior change training. Some 38 company commanders were randomly assigned to experimental (training) or control (no training) groups. Programs were developed to: (1) assess the…

This is a report of a training program for preparing paraprofessionals to work with the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Forty paraprofessionals and 200 deaf and hard-of-hearing children participated in the program in a camping setting. During the first week the trainees received instruction in behavior modification and communication skills, child…

Described is the parent education component of a St. Louis, Missouri, program for the severely handicapped (5-21 years old) which focused on instruction in behavior modification skills. Noted are the organization of the first program of 10 weekly sessions, a continuation program for parents who completed the first program, the "hard to reach"…

Artificial data were used to assess the correlation between several estimates of average student change in various schools and the "true" impact of those schools. Results indicate that all estimates involving pretest-posttest differences measure school impact with reasonable accuracy. It is important to measure change over the entire…

A person's actions are caused by the interaction of external environmental forces and internal personal forces. Attributing actions to one or the other set of forces is a distorted view of cause. In therapy, attributing actions to external forces, particularly past events, relieves the client of guilt and makes sense out of his actions.…

Until recently, the use of contingency contracting has been largely an issue of theory and discussion with little experimental research evidence gathered to support efficacy. Two major reasons for this problem are suggested and discussed: (1) the concept of contingency contracting has not been adequately defined nor its minimal requirements…