This study asked whether the concurrent reinforcement of behavioral variability facilitates learning to emit a difficult target response. Sixty students repeatedly pressed sequences of keys, with an originally infrequently occurring target sequence consistently being followed by positive feedback. Three conditions differed in the feedback given to…

THE STUDY INVESTIGATED SOME OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN A CHILD'S VERBAL BEHAVIOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS NECESSARY IN ACQUIRING LANGUAGE. TWO TRAINABLE RETARDATES (FROM A GROUP OF SIX, AGED 3-6 TO 5) WITH A FUNCTIONAL VOCABULARY OF NO MORE THAN TWO OR THREE WORDS WERE SEEN INDIVIDUALLY IN 20- TO 30-MINUTE SESSIONS TWICE A WEEK DURING A 4-MONTH…

This guide to behavior modification provides teachers and others who work with children with some practical suggestions to reinforce productive classroom behavior. A description of common elementary classroom problems, the principles and ethical considerations in the use of behavior modification, suggestions for establishing a classroom climate…

Initial experiment demonstrated operant acquisition of an instrumental hand-pulling response in 4-8-month-old infants; the effect achieved with contingent, noncontingent, delayed reinforcement, and the suppression, recovery, and facilitation effects of noncontingent stimulation are discussed. (Author)

Study was designed to investigate the effects of signalled non-contingent reward on the operant behaviour of human subjects. (Authors)

The present study attempted to duplicate earlier findings and to investigate the effects of mechanical as well as personal reinforcement. However, the acquisition and extinction differences between oral and anal scoring types reported in the earlier studies were not obtained with either personal or mechanical reinforcement. (Author)

Five adolescents with autism, 5 control participants, and 4 child controls received rewards for varying their sequences of responses while playing a computer game. In preceding and following phases, rewards were provided at approximately the same rate but were independent of variability. When reinforced, variability increased significantly in all…

Behavior can be modified because it is governed by its consequences. Observable behavior, excluding its causes, is modified by the application of techniques derived from B.F. Skinner's operant learning theory. Optimum effects can be achieved only after thorough knowledge of the child is gained, particularly in the area of his capabilities. The…

This project examined whether a history of reinforced relational responding would result in derived requesting skills in 3 adults with disabilities. Participants were first taught to request preferred items using pictures; they were then taught conditional discriminations between pictures and their dictated names and between dictated names and…

AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM OF SMALL TRANSCEIVER UNITS, PACKAGED IN A BELT WORN BY STUDENTS IN CLASS, WAS DESIGNED TO TRANSMIT LIGHT SIGNALS AND VIBRA-TACTILE CODED MESSAGES BETWEEN STUDENTS AND A COUNSELOR AT A CLINIC SCHOOL. FOUR MALE ADOLESCENTS SELECTED FOR LOW MOTIVATION, AGGRESSIVE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR, AND HIGH PEER-GROUP RATING REPORTED THEIR TIME…