The study with 84 mentally retarded persons (mean IQ 41) concluded that increases of instrumental performance in the response deprivation schedules employed were due to the contingency and not noncontingent deprivation, and that the effectiveness of therapeutic reinforcement programs is influenced by the presence of alternative responses.…

Reinforcement contingencies defined by the response deprivation hypothesis were evaluated with three moderately mentally retarded persons (ages 17, 18, and 19). In the presence of the low probability, freely available response, a consistent reinforcement effect was evident whereas in the presence of a high probability response, the reinforcement…

The study of 20 adult stutterers participating in a 32-hour program of fluency training found that results were consistent with the hypothesis that improvements in fluency during response-contingent stimulation may occur when stutterers access extant fluent speech that is not otherwise being fully utilized. (Author/DB)

Two students with severe disabilities were alternately presented with interspersed high-compliance requests and social comments as antecedents to low-compliance requests. Analysis found similar positive effects on compliance for interspersed requests and social comments. The effectiveness of social comments was related to the time interval between…

Evaluated was the effectiveness of four treatment procedures in reducing self-injurious behaviors (handbiting and headstriking) of 22 nonverbal severely mentally retarded children, approximately 10 years old. Among results were that contingent restraint was more effective in reducing behavior below baseline levels than positive reinforcement,…

In this case study, a six-year-old, multihandicapped child was treated for self-injurious arm-biting using two response contingent deceleration procedures and two forms of sensory extinction. Only the sensory extinction procedure with protective cuffs reduced arm-biting to manageable levels. (Author/DB)

The effects of social interaction skill interventions on the social behavior of four preschool children with behavioral handicaps were evaluated. Findings indicated unique effects for social skills training and contingency management intervention. Results are discussed in relation to the role of reciprocal interaction and behavioral trapping for…

Two functional communication training (FCT) conditions were compared to treat behavior problems of a child with mental retardation. The child was taught to emit a single FCT response to obtain one of six items or multiple FCT responses that specified the exact item. Only the FCT-multiple conditions reduced problem behavior. (Contains four…

Evaluated short-term skill-training intervention that taught male alcoholics generation of appropriate behaviors in problematic situations. Verbal role-playing measures of responses to situations associated with drinking behavior and relapse showed significant performance improvement of training groups. Posttreatment follow-up indicated that skill…

The performance of a 3-year-old with Rett Syndrome in a Contingency Intervention Program using head and hand switches and adapted toys was assessed over 18 months. Learning contingent control of the stimuli positively motivated the child, promoted attention to toys and objects, and generalized to the classroom. (SW)

Two procedures were used to compare the effects of differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI) on self-injurious behavior (SIB) of three profoundly retarded head bangers (ages 8 and 24 years) in a multiple schedule within-subjects design. (Author/PHR)

Self-induced vomiting in a severely retarded visually impaired adult was reduced by consistent application of restitutional overcorrective strategy. (Author/CL)

Analyzed the effect of a seven-week motivational training program on competitive veteran swimmers. Results suggested that the motivational training program exerted significant and positive influences on swimming performances. Swimmers perceived the program effective in improving swimming performances, developing personal motivation, establishing…

Manual hand and arm guidance as a form of overcorrection was used in a punishment paradigm to suppress the frequency of serious self-injurious behavior in two profoundly retarded young adults with long histories of such behavior. (SBH)

A multicomponent intervention to change problem behavior, which prevented community integration of three adolescents with autism, was evaluated. The intervention (implemented in a supermarket setting) included choice making, embedding, functional communication training, building tolerance for delay of reinforcement, and presenting discriminative…