A study involving 16 elementary school teachers and 32 low social status children was conducted to improve the social status of target classrooms through the implementation of an "in situ" Computer Assisted Teacher Training System (CATTS) intervention. During the treatment phase, teachers in Group 1 (n=8) received 12 CATTS post-session…

The behavioral view that depression results from inadequate, ineffective and/or insufficient reinforcers was explored. Since the depressed person does not act in a manner open to positive reinforcement by others, he suffers ongoing and deepening depression. The task of the therapist is to improve behavior, especially social skills, so that the…

This paper reviews research findings that are related to fostering prosocial behavior in the early childhood and elementary classroom. A collection of "experimental best bets" for increasing prosocial behavior in young children is outlined. This collection covers the role of reinforcement and modeling or imitation, the importance of group norms,…

Differential treatment of students by teachers (degree of warmth and friendliness) is helping to account for the failure of low-achieving students. Warm, friendly teacher behavior does not affect student academic achievement directly. Achievement requires effort-engagement on the part of the student as a necessary but not a sufficient condition…

A study of five teachers and 316 junior high school physical education students reveals an unequal distribution of positive reinforcement teacher behavior among individual students. Factors influencing the amount of rewarding behavior directed to students include elements such as student gender, teacher perception of student skill level, student…

This conference report consists of two presented papers and a selected bibliography. The paper by Joan Gussow, "Behavioral Management and Educational Goals," is concerned with operant conditioning as a theory of learning and an instructional method. Basing their methods on the work of B.F. Skinner, educators who are proponents of this…

Motivational devices are useful in content-area reading because the content load of most content textbooks is so extensive that few if any students can be expected to understand all that an author intends to communicate. Many students who are inexperienced with the subject matter are unable to read the assignments independently. The recognition of…

Recent research into the relationship between cultural background and cognitive style has suggested that Mexican-American children typically display a "field-dependent" style as opposed to the "field-independent" style usually exhibited by Anglo children. Teachers of Mexican-American children should consider this difference in developing their…

This teaching module is developed for use in inservice training for parent educators who serve as home visitors. It may be used by teachers, parent volunteers, paraprofessionals, or other adults who want to develop home learning activities that meet the individual needs of children. This module shows a home visitor how to solicit ideas for…

This study was designed to determine the effects of two teacher responses on rate of oral reading. The teacher responses were the simple response of correcting a mispronounced word and the response of praise contingent on correct reading while ignoring all errors. The subjects were four boys ranging in age from nine to twelve from a residential…

Three groups of twenty-five children in fourth-grade reading classes were selected for this study. The subjects in class one received plastic tokens for desirable reading responses. The tokens were exchanged for release time from the classroom while reading instruction was in progress. The subjects in class two also received tokens for desirable…

Compared was the effectiveness of punishment and positive reinforcement on the nonattending behaviors and academic achievement of 18 elementary grade children in two special classes for children with social or adjustment problems. During the positive reinforcement condition each student earned a slash mark whenever he was observed attending to…

This research investigated the effects of employing fixed, variable, and extended token exchange periods for back-ups on the completion and accuracy of daily assignments for a total fifth and sixth-grade class. The results indicated that, in general, a higher percentage of assignments was completed when the number of days between point exchanges…

The book is intended to be used as a handbook by teachers, to enable them to become acquainted with the general principles and latest techniques which have proved effective in changing children's behavior. Topics include reinforcement systems, the token economy, evaluation, and curriculum. (CS)

This booklet is an instructional aid for teacher trainers. Its aim is to help trainers familiarize teachers with the theory and proper use of the Reinforced Readiness Requisites (RRR) program, a series of 145 lessons designed to give standard kindergarten and first grade entry and reading readiness skills to Mexican-American and Indian children.…