This paper describes a social-learning approach to counseling as it is developed at Valley View School for Boys, Illinois Department of Corrections. (Author/SM)

This paper presents a review of relevant literature on treatment approaches for the modification of smoking behavior, followed by an outline of an approach developed by the author to decrease his own rate of cigarette smoking. Studies are reviewed which have used various treatment methods: use of electric shock, satiation and/or use of cigarette…

The efforts of smoking cessation programs have met with various degrees of success and fresh approaches to the problem are needed. An innovative technique that interrupts the psychogenic drives of smokers was employed to determine the effect of noxious subliminal suggestion on smoking attitudes and behavior. Adult smokers (N=60) were shown…

Literature is reviewed on the use of timeout as exclusion and isolation with behavior problem children. Considerations in designing timeout procedures are noted, and the effectiveness of timeout when viewed as a punishment is discussed. Legal challenges to behavior modification uses are briefly addressed. A longitudinal study involving 29…

Most histories of psychology and psychiatry attribute the first group psychotherapy to Joseph Pratt's 1905 class for tuberculosis patients. Pratt's actual treatment procedures are examined. They are shown to have consisted primarily of operant and social-learning techniques, aimed at increasing patient compliance with a demanding therapeutic…

Research related to the importance of involving parents directly in treatment programming for childhood obesity has provided inconclusive results because of methodological problems and relatively short treatment duration periods. The effectiveness of an extended behavioral weight control program was evaluated during a 10-week treatment phase and…

The effectiveness of four operant procedures (differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior, omission training, overcorrection, and reinforcement withdrawal) in changing self injurious behavior (SIB) of 16 severely handicapped students was examined. Analysis of correlations between reduction in SIB and subject characteristics, adaptive…

Previous research has shown that certain counseling methods, unlike behavioral counseling procedures, have been unsuccessful in improving the sociometric status of unpopular and uncooperative elementary students. This study attempted to assess the effectiveness of behavioral counseling. Forty elementary students were identified as unpopular and…

Thirty-six students at a continuation high school were identified as predelinquents and selected as subjects on the basis of their poor attendance and academic records. Pretreatment and posttreatment data were collected on the following variables: attendance figures and academic credits. Following preliminary assessment, the subjects were randomly…

Based on the premises that a major aim of guidance is to help students make wise vocational and educational decisions, and that learning to collect and use relevant information is helpful in making such decisions, this study compares several behavioral reinforcement techniques for effectiveness in increasing information seeking behavior (ISB) by…

The paper presents a model of counseling outcomes which distinguishes between within-interview change and extra-interview change in order to identify and study the counselor behaviors which constitute strategies or techniques. The author feels that research must: 1.) assess the relative productivity of these behaviors within-strategies in terms of…

A behavioral setting termed "free time" was identified in the day room of an institution for the retarded. The behavioral mapping technique was used to record behavior and spatial use within this setting. During treatment patients engaged in active and socially involved behavior. (Author)

Investigates views held by senior state department of education administrators responsible for school psychology services relevant to acceptance or rejection of behavior modification procedures by educators, parents, and school psychologists. Significant results support the relationship between administrators' preferences and perceived functioning…

The study compared the effects of two forms of intervention on a three-year-old autistic female. Marked improvement in tantrum control, expressive language, and reduced obsessional behaviors were associated with the use of behavior management techniques, whereas developmental stimulation through play and positive adult contact produced no…

The use of operant procedures was extended to decrease immediate echolalia and increase appropriate responding to questions of a 21-year-old autistic man. Multiple baseline designs demonstrated that echolalia was rapidly replaced with correct stimulus-specific responses. A variety of generalized improvements were observed in verbal responses to…