A combination of an avrsive taste, a standard command, and a novel cueing signal was found to be the most effective and efficient method of reducing maladaptive mouthing behavior in three four- to seven-year-old deaf/blind school children. (Author/MC)

A variable interval schedule of reinforcement was used with five behavior disordered boys (7-13 years old) to improve attending and study behavior of the children during the communicative skills period. (SBH)

Presented is research evidence in support of the use of behavior extinction procedures for mentally handicapped persons in residential treatment situations. (IM)

This testimony discusses the risks faced by the U.S. Department of Education due to the year 2000 (Y2K) computing crisis, focusing on student financial aid systems, the actions the Department has taken in recent months to address these risks, and the key issues the Department must deal with if its computer systems are to be ready for the century…

Combining education theory with technique of behavioral science produces a successful means of effecting change in the classroom, says the author, an advocate of contingency management. He discusses the tools, the strategy, and the rules of the game. (Editor/CB)

Three group-oriented contingency systems (interdependent, dependent, and independent) were compared to evaluate each system's effectiveness in controlling the disruptive behavior of a self-contained classroom of 12 educable mentally retarded elementary-aged children. Interdependent and dependent group contingency systems were more effective than…

The overall results indicated high academic performance under either contingency arrangement when compared to a nontreatment baseline condition. Comparisons between the individual and group contingency conditions revealed a slightly higher number of words spelled correctly during the group contingency procedures. (Author)

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)

The article reviews programs/research on self-control which were announced in RIE (Resources in Education) and which cover three constructs: cognitive behavior modification using verbal mediation, biofeedback and relaxation training, and modeling. (SBH)

Authors describes Holland's article as "...an extraordinary act of moral perception and intellectual courage." However, he continues, in the case of behavior modification methods, it may not be a matter of warning against abuse of a good thing, but rather a matter of warning against use of a bad thing. (Author/RW)

The effects of two levels of exercise (walking versus jogging) in suppressing the self-stimulatory behavior during academic programming of a 5-year-old boy with autism were examined. Decreased physical self-stimulation and "out of seat" behavior were found only for the jogging condition. Sharp reductions in these behaviors did not return…

The successful application of functional analysis to problem behavior suggests the need to examine: additional functional properties of behavior involving social avoidance, biological reinforcement, and respondent conditioning; the role of context (including social factors and biological factors); and the multidimensional character of assessment…

Functional assessment is redefining the standards for clinical interventions with problem behavior and reemphasizing the importance of basic behavioral mechanisms. It has shown the importance of complex patterns of behavioral control, functional assessment as an ongoing process, and the importance of attention to antecedent variables. Future…

After finding that self-injurious behavior in two young males with developmental disabilities was negatively reinforced by escape from instructional activities, an intervention provided noncontingent escape on a fixed schedule and differential negative reinforcement of other behavior. Provision of escape, even when noncontingent, resulted in…