The phrase "death by PowerPoint" was not born in the offices of Microsoft's competitors; it came straight from the hearts of victimized meeting attendees. Microsoft estimates that at least 30 million PowerPoint presentations are made daily, with many rightfully warranting death verdict assessment. Death sentences often result from a "construction…

The author found it very satisfying to reread "Toward a technology of 'nonaversive' behavioral support," written in 1990 by Rob Horner and seven of his colleagues. Their predictions of the critical themes for advancing positive behavior support (PBS) ring true. Fifteen years have passed since the publication of this article, and much has happened…

Michael (1975) reviewed efforts to classify reinforcing events in terms of whether stimuli are added (positive reinforcement) or removed (negative reinforcement). He concluded that distinctions in these terms are confusing and ambiguous. Of necessity, adding a stimulus requires its previous absence and removing a stimulus its previous presence.…

Contextualized instruction (also referenced as anchor instruction) is teaching a skill within a specific or functional context known as a target setting. The purpose of this approach is to teach transfer or generalization of a skill in order to increase the likelihood that what is taught in the training or classroom setting will be used in future…

A knowledge of an individual's preferences is essential to create an effective reward or reinforcer program for individuals who have either a need to reduce maladaptive behaviors or to increase adaptive behaviors. The goal of the Missouri Automated Reinforcer Assessment (MARA) project is to develop an efficient yet thorough automated reinforcer…

Group contingencies is a technology for using peers to influence behavioral change through contingencies; the use of contingent interdependent group rewards for specific group behaviors has been of interest to behavioral researchers. To sort out the effects on quiz scores and peer social interaction (PSI) of group contingencies based on academic…

Investigated with three secondary school students who were unable to complete class assignments because of motivational and attitudinal problems was the effect of teacher-written praise notes and parental support on academic performance. Results of the intervention and communication between parent, teacher, and student indicated academic gains…

The study was designed to examine the effect of teacher administered praise notes on the academic performance of three second grade special needs students with reading difficulty or learning disabilities. Also studied were effects of notes and their use in conjunction with parental social reinforcement. A multiple baseline procedure was used to…

This manual is designed to provide an overview of a Behavior Analysis Follow Through classroom management system known as "contracting." Behavior Analysis Follow Through was designed to meet the educational needs of low-income students in the kindergarten through third grade and was validated as an effective and exemplary educational…

Based on behavioral principles, the handbook is designed as both an assessment tool and curriculum guide for training community living skills to mentally retarded and developmentally disabled individuals. Behavioral Programing Scales are provided to record baseline data, where the client receives no assistance. These scales cover all program…

Examples of three behaviorally disordered students are used to describe the level system (in which the student moves from level 1, with much external control, to level 6, which is self management) at the Greene County Learning Center (Xenia, OH). The six guidelines for the center are outlined and the components of the level system are listed as…

This report briefly summarizes the motivation research strategy and results from the Kamehameha Early Education Program (KEEP). The rationale behind KEEP's use of on-task behavior to measure student motivation is discussed and the two strategies of motivation enhancement researched are described. These two strategies were: (1) staff training in…

Research in the area of handwriting legibility has been hampered in the past because of a lack of objective procedures for evaluating letter formations. This study used a recently developed evaluative instrument to answer questions concerning the legibility of the handwriting of 22 first-grade students. Two baseline conditions and four…

The report, over half of which consists of appendixes, describes the development and implementation of a program in Dorchester County, Maryland, to integrate into a public school 23 emotionally handicapped students (ages 6-13) who had been attending school at a state mental institution. Services provided to the children in the public school…

Four treatment procedures were evaluated for effectiveness in reducing self injurious behavior (SIB) of 22 severely handicapped students. Treatment procedures included contingent restraint, reinforcement withdrawal, differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior, and ommission training (rewarding the S for not emitting the SIB response).…