Differential reinforcement of appropriate behavior was used in combination with a naturalistic restitution procedure utilizing victim participation to reduce the assaultive and interpersonal sexual behavior and genital self stimulation of an adolescent Down's syndrome male in a school setting. (Author/DLS)

Effects of instruction and reward contingency on conformity to a prohibition were studied in preschoolers. Instructions were varied in terms of explicitness and reward was either contingent or not contingent upon following the instructions. (Author/SS)

"Sesame Street" and "Mister Rogers" were analyzed and compared for positive and negative reinforcement of antisocial and socially positive behaviors. (LS)

Using a case study, evaluates the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for the treatment of a patient diagnosed with a conversion disorder characterized by a perceived lump in the throat and subsequent weight loss. Results indicate that the behavioral therapy procedures contributed to increased weight and improved eating behavior. (RJM)

Abusive, potentially abusive, and control group parents (N=62) were presented with vignettes describing a child with either mild or severe behavior problems and asked to rate the acceptability of four discipline procedures (positive reinforcement, timeout, timeout with spanking, and spanking). Overall, parents rated positive reinforcement as more…

The study with two elementary students who had low levels of completion and accuracy on daily arithmetic assignments found that a negative consequence was not necessary and that use of a positive component alone was sufficient to maintain high levels of completion and accuracy. (Author/DB)

This study compared the effects of unequal and equal reinforcer duration during a functional analysis of aberrant behavior in an 11-year old with moderate mental retardation. Results showed that reinforcer duration affects the rate of aberrant behavior and may potentially alter functional analysis interpretation. (DB)

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) was applied to reduce the destructive behaviors of five-year-old quadruplets diagnosed with mental retardation and pervasive developmental disorder. Findings suggest that the effectiveness of NCR may be dependent on the use of a dense schedule of reinforcement initially and that systematic fading can increase the…

Research shows that praise alone does not enhance children's self-esteem. Teachers should provide constructive encouragement for students' endeavors, Encouragement should be specific; be private; focus on effort, not accomplishments; be sincere and direct; avoid labeling children; focus on the child's feelings; avoid comparison to other children.…

This study found that use of music as a reinforcer was highly effective in increasing productive and decreasing nonproductive behavior of 6 competitive swimmers (ages 12-16) during the dry-land portion of a practice session. Subjects rated the musical reinforcement favorably and elected to have the procedure continued. (Author/DB)

Two experiments analyzed the single-alternative form of the matching law as a description of student behavior. Four students (ages 8-10) exhibiting off-task behavior were exposed to variable-interval schedules of social reinforcement contingent on academic engagement. Results provided evidence that subject behavior was under control of the…

Schools cannot successfully inculcate a love of learning and groom good citizens for a democracy by relying mostly on extrinsic rewards and treating students like prisoners. The glossy, materialist "outer" world cannot be outdone by the institutional world of today's schools. Educators need to examine whether high schoolers are treated fairly and…

The automatically reinforced self-injury of a girl (age 11) with autism was treated by providing noncontingent access to a single set of preferred toys during 30-minute sessions. Rotating toy sets after 10 minutes or providing access to multiple toy sets resulted in reductions that lasted the entire 30 minutes. (Contains four references.)…

A study examined effects of two adults on the requesting repertoire of a 3-year-old child with autism and language delays. Reinforcement contingencies associated with each adult were reversed after the participant reached a preestablished criterion of discriminated responding. The participant learned to request in a discriminated manner with each…

Two experiments with 15 individuals having profound mental retardation found difficulties in identifying reinforcers that were actually effective in treatment of chronic training needs. Research needs in evaluating training alternatives for people with profound multiple disabilities who move very little or who respond with very long latencies are…