A study of a 15-year-old girl with autism who engaged in self-injury and aggression, found that gradually increasing the delay to reinforcement (access or escape), mand training, and extinction were effective for decreasing self-injury. Only when the gradual delay procedure was eliminated, however, was there a reduction in aggression. (Author/CR)

A study evaluated the utility of a five-minute stimulus preference assessment for 20 individuals with developmental disabilities. The brief assessment identified stimuli that functioned as reinforcers for a simple operant response and identified preferred stimuli that were differentially effective as reinforcers. This assessment was associated…

Study assesses the acceptability of six child-management interventions as rated by mothers (N=20) of children referred for treatment for a disruptive-behavior disorder. Positive reinforcement was rated as a more acceptable treatment than response time, time-out, differential attention, overcorrection, and spanking. Results validate findings of…

Examines whether substantial increases in the positive interactional ratios of six highly disruptive adolescents would decrease their behavior problems. Results indicate that the intervention significantly decreased behavior problems in the boys as a group. Discusses findings in terms of response-contingent reinforcement and systemic behavior…

A functional assessment of tantrum behaviors of two students (ages seven and nine) with severe mental retardation found that the function of the behavior was to gain attention rather than to avoid or escape demands. Intervention, based on the positive reinforcement hypothesis, resulted in a substantial reduction of tantrums for both subjects.…

A study evaluated the accuracy of a reinforcer survey by comparing the survey results to the results of subsequent reinforcer assessment for 20 children with attention deficit disorders using a concurrent-operants arrangement to assess relative reinforcer preference. Total accuracy for the survey was determined to be approximately 57 percent.…

This review discusses the history of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) and summaries findings from treatment research. It describes the use of NCR as a control procedure, NCR as a function-based treatment, considerations in the programming of NCR schedules, behavior-change mechanisms underlying NCR effects, and directions for future research.…

Problem-focused strategies to motivate students are too teacher-controlled to be effective. In solution-focused settings, the student is asked to be the expert. In problem-focused situations, the teacher describes the problem and decides the strategy. Tips for developing solution-focused motivation strategies are provided. (MLH)

Presents a collection of inexpensive, nonsugary rewards for students who demonstrate extra effort and fine achievement. They include a skip-a-spelling-test pass, a skip-homework pass, special lunches with the teacher, first place blue ribbons, big-goals celebrations, and a special, comfortable chair that students can use on a rotating basis. (SM)

Evaluates the sequential introduction of compliance training components on the instruction-following of four elementary school students. The components included effective instruction delivery with reinforcement for compliance, time in, and time out. Increased compliance levels were maintained at follow-up with all four students. Discusses results…

From its inception in the 1930s until very recent times, the cumulative recorder was the most widely used measurement instrument in the experimental analysis of behavior. It was an essential instrument in the discovery and analysis of schedules of reinforcement, providing the first real-time analysis of operant response rates and patterns. This…

Parenting is one of the most important tasks an adult will tackle. It is also one of the most difficult, and one for which few individuals receive education. Increasing concerns about child abuse and neglect reflect the desire to reduce the worst outcomes of parenting and improve the chances for children to flourish. Considering that context,…

Functional behavior assessment (FBA) is an integral component of a positive behavior support approach to preventing problem behavior across all students in the school. As primary prevention, FBA is a collaborative school-wide practice to predict common problems and to develop school-wide interventions. As secondary prevention, FBA involves simple…

This study examined the underlying structure of transfer climate and those aspects of transfer climate that were related to pre-training self-efficacy, pre-training motivation, and post-training transfer implementation intentions. Positive and negative affectivity (PA and NA) were also measured in order to better understand the relationship of…

The efficacy of three behavior management techniques used in a Head Start classroom was examined. The three techniques included: (a) techniques currently used by the teacher, (b) response cost, and (c) the Level System (token economy). The current study used an ABACA single subject withdrawal design with follow-up where all conditions were…