Presenting college students, in a wide variety of content areas, with frequent announced and unannounced quizzes appears to correlate positively with enhanced test performance. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine if similar results can be achieved with high school students in a standard economics class. Based on a theoretical…

Most modern research on the effects of feedback during learning has assumed that feedback is an error correction mechanism. Recent studies of feedback-timing effects have suggested that feedback might also strengthen initially correct responses. In an experiment involving cued recall of trivia facts, we directly tested several theories of…

A procedure is described that uses operant conditioning principles to shape earphone wearing in block-dropping play audiometry. Vibrotactile stimulation is used as the first step in testing difficult-to-test children. (Author/CL)

The bibliography contains 27 abstracts and descriptive terms of documents dealing with behavior modification, diagnosis, and research into new developments. An author and subject index are included as are information for the user and cost information for the total volume or for individual documents. (JM)

After training conditional discriminations among selected stimuli from two perceptual classes, the emergence of novel relations involving other members of both classes was assessed using cross-class probes. The cross-class probes were presented using one of four different testing schedules. In the 2/9 test, nine different probes were presented in…

The Training Proficiency Scale, designed to evaluate the competence of a trainer utilizing operant conditioning techniques with the mentally handicapped, is described in terms of its need, development, reliability and validity qualities, and four areas of assessment (shaping behavior, rewarding, communicating, and rapport). The scale is presented…

Presented in the paper are procedures for diagnosing academic and social behaviors of retarded and emotionally disturbed children 5 to 8 years of age. Assessment before instruction is said to involve medical reports, interviews, psychometric tests, direct observation, and behavior inventories. Assessment during instruction is discussed in terms of…

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate that an audiotape desensitization treatment procedure, administered over a 19-day period, would be an effective means of treating test-taking anxiety. Subjects were students seeking treatment from a university counseling center. Results indicated that the treated subjects showed significant…

This IRCD Bulletin issue contains two brief papers. One, on contingency management, describes the application of this aspect of operant conditioning theory to the manipulation of behavior through reinforcement methods. Examples of the technique of managing high and low probability behaviors are offered as it is used with preschool children,…

To facilitate the use of operant audiometry with low functioning children (psychotic, severely retarded, or multiply handicapped), a procedures manual was developed containing definitions of terms, instructions for determining reinforcers, physical facilities and equipment needs, diagrams, component lists, and technical descriptions. Development…

Focusing on the education of the autistic child as an awakening process, the book discusses the role of meaningful human communication and reports a research program which applied a therapeutic educational technique. The development of language in children, the diagnosis of an autistic child, autistic behavior and sensory and emotional…

This study attempted to assess the effect of behavior modification techniques on community college open enrollment students with severe educational deficits. Of 30 suburban New York members of a reading class, half were exposed to direct teaching, instructor praise, peer partners, self and peer ratings, role playing, Premack contracts,…