The theory of and research on the application of operant procedures to the college classroom is reviewed. Practical limitations of these procedures and shortcomings of this research are discussed. Covered in this paper are: (1) theoretical foundations; (2) operant foundations in education; (3) research on programed instruction; (4) the…

There are 13 modules included this module cluster for individualizing instruction in behavior modification at the college level: a) Writing Instructional Objectives, b) Defining Operant Terms, c) Basic Operant Principles, d) Analysis of Behavior in Operant Terms, e) Operant Measurement Techniques, f) Recording Operant Behaviors, g) Specifying the…

This module cluster is one of several developed for the Camden Teacher Corps project. The general objectives are to enable students to a) define basic operant terms, b) state basic operant principles, c) read operant measurement charts, and d) use operant principles and measurement in elementary classrooms with both social and academic behaviors.…

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 generalization of "trained" creativity in easel painting to untrained creativity in blockbuilding was examined in two preschool boys. Verbal reinforcement of every different form painted in a picture increased both the number of different forms per picture and new forms (those appearing for the first time in the total output of…

This paper illustrates the potential of people to know themselves and to utilize self-change procedures. The author describes attempts by three individuals to monitor their aversive feelings through recording the daily frequencies of these feelings. The frequencies then serve as an inner behavior baseline against which they assess the effect of…

A family therapy model, based on a conceptualization of the family as a behavioral system whose members interact adaptively so that an optimal level of functioning is maintained within the system, is described. The divergent roots of this conceptualization are discussed briefly, as are the treatment approaches based on it. The author's model,…

Reported are five studies related to the effects of a token reinforcement system based upon principles of operant conditioning on academic performance of trainable mentally retarded (TMR) children, conducted over a 9-month period in an entire school for TMR students. Study 1 investigated the effects of a school-wide reinforcement program on…

Selected principles and procedures related to language training for nonverbal children are presented. The participating children are 3 to 6 years of age and are enrolled at a clinic for a minimal of 3 hours of individual therapy a week. The language problems vary considerably. The possibility of some central nervous system dysfunction is thought…

This study examined racial experimenter effects in counseling-like interviews employing the verbal operant-conditioning paradigm. The absence of significant differences in the experimenter-subject racial interaction suggests that race, per se, may not be the most important variable in the experimenter-subject (or counselor-client) relationship.…

Discribed is precision therapy, an eclectic approach which uses behavior modification, programming principles, and traditional methods in treating children's articulation disorders. (CL)

Demonstrates the use of the behavior-analytic approach in remediation of behavior problems precipitated by sexual abuse of a five-year-old girl. Treatment using excessive ruminations and negative emotional responding produces stable gains over a one-year period. (SA)

Discusses first and second language acquisition in terms of behavior modification and structural exercises in terms of operant conditioning. The validity of the comparison is also discussed. (Text is in French.) (AM)

This article discusses general aspects of our knowledge about autism, as well as behavioral and cognitive characteristics of autistic children. Attention is also directed toward treatment techniques, especially those of direct use for the educator. (Author)