Research has found that individuals present themselves in a self-enhancing fashion when audiences lack information that could contradict their claims. To examine reactions to evaluations and the potential interplay between the valence of the evaluation, the public versus private nature of the response, and the audience to whom a public response is…

Research on feedback acceptance in sensitivity groups has consistently found that subjects rate positive feedback more credible than negative, a phenomenon referred to as the "credibility gap." To assess subjective distortion versus actual differences in credibility as an alternative explanation for the different ratings given positive and…

In a study of behavior modification two Down's syndrome preschool children, the first a 5-year-old boy with autistic behavior patterns and the second a 4-year-old girl whose behavior problem was to reject other children, were examined. The first S was engaged in ball catching activities with a teacher with positive reinforcement (playing the S's…

THE NATURAL ABILITIES OF PEOPLE CAN BE STIFLED BY ENVIRONMENT, LEADING TO THE ATTITUDE THAT ONE HAS NO CONTROL OVER HIS DESTINY AND NEED MAKE NO LIFE PLANS. THEREFORE EDUCATIONAL COUNSELORS SHOULD PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE ADOLESCENT TO EXPRESS HIS ABILITIES IN A CONSTRUCTIVE MANNER. DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN FEEL THAT--STAYING OUT OF TROUBLE,…

This study was designed as a partial replication and extension of the research on interpersonal problem solving in preschool children by Shure and Spivack. Fifteen well-adjusted and 14 impulsive children from Head Start Centers were administered the Preschool Interpersonal Problem Solving test (PIPS) under either incentive or no incentive…

Two papers describe studies to decrease inappropriate social behaviors of severely retarded students. R. Spangler and others in "The Effect of a Time-Out Procedure on the Duration of Tantrum Behavior in a 13-Year-Old Severely Retarded Male S" report on a three phase study in which a combination of verbal instructions and a timeout procedure…

In October, 1967, the staff of the Work Opportunity Center (WOC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, began issuing coupons to students for attendance and achievement in classes. Each coupon is worth 10 cents when used toward noon lunches at the WOC cafeteria, dry cleaning services at WOC cleaners, or labor or services charges at the WOC auto service…

Two methods of scheduling reinforcement, differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) and differential reinforcement of low rates of responding (DRL), were investigated in two experiments that demonstrated each procedure's effectiveness in reducing misbehavior when used by teachers in school settings. A third experiment was undertaken to…

Matching a teaching method with a learner's style of learning is suggested as a most efficient way of creating an opportunity for a learning experience. Over 80 teaching strategies or models have been identified and categorized into four groups by educational theorists. The first group is identified as "social interaction models"; these emphasize…

All sixth grade pupils in the largest elementary school in New Orleans were involved in a study to assess the effects of social reinforcement on the use of library books. The number of library books used by both experimental and control groups was ascertained and compared. Standard arithmetic procedures were used to establish baseline,…

The general shortcomings of the traditional classroom reward structure are discussed in light of performance-reward principles of demonstrable effectiveness. Four alternative general reward structures are analyzed, and studies comparing their effectiveness are reviewed. Although none of the reward structures was found to be consistently superior…

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…

Three hypotheses were tested in this 6-week study: a) training in systematic application of strategies designed to reinforce desirable pupil behavior would enable the teacher to develop and maintain classroom control and increase pupil learning; b) desirable pupil behavior thus produced could be transferred from one classroom to another in which…

Compared in a junior high class of 12 educable mentally handicapped children were the effects on adaptive behaviors of a token reinforcement program involving only positive reinforcement and a token reinforcement program additionally involving response cost. The token reinforcement response cost condition allowed students to earn points for…

This study attempts to generate hypotheses concerning teacher performance in the classroom. Seventeen teachers were videotaped while teaching a lesson. Pupils completed an achievement test and a rating scale of these teachers which placed the teacher in a high-, medium, or low-effect group. A comparison of the frequency and types of questioning…