A preview of statistical data from previous studies determined the benefits of positive reinforcement on learning in students from kindergarten through college. Results indicate that differences between reinforced and control groups are greater for girls and for students from special schools and that reinforcement appears to have a strong effect…

The strengths of Black youths lie in their abilities to resist the barriers that they encounter in the various environments in which they exist. Yet the media and social science literature have defined the youths in terms of the pathology of their environments rather than focusing on the assets that Black youths use in such environments. Thus,…

Undergraduate female volunteers (N=32) were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups in which occupational information was presented in these ways: glamorous-reinforced, glamorous-nonreinforced, objective-reinforced, and objective-nonreinforced. Results suggest that the glamorous groups rated the occupation as more professional and more…

This paper describes systems dynamics, reviews the literature of uses of systems concepts in distance education (DE), presents a preliminary model, and ends in a call to researchers to contribute to the building of a standard model of DE. (Contains 4 figures.)

Researchers have posited that when students work on assignments with many discrete tasks, that each completed discrete task may be a conditioned reinforcer. If the discrete task completion hypothesis is accurate, then relative task completion rates should influence choice behavior in the same manner as relative rates of reinforcement. Results of a…

Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement, but this impact can be either positive or negative. Its power is frequently mentioned in articles about learning and teaching, but surprisingly few recent studies have systematically investigated its meaning. This article provides a conceptual analysis of feedback and…

This article reviews research describing assessment-based antecedent interventions implemented in natural settings. Descriptive information is provided along a number of dimensions pertaining to participant characteristics (n=42), assessment utilized, and intervention attributes. Results indicate the most common interventions targeted aggression,…

Research on classroom rewards is reviewed with emphasis on the effect of seeing another student rewarded for performing the same task that the observing classmate has performed. Four further experiments are briefly described, and research variables are reviewed. Suggestions are made for increasing the effects on peers of implicit rewards. (GDC)

The notion of differentially reinforcing low rates of undesirable behavior (DRL) is examined. Further, the status of the full session DRL strategy as alternative to punishment is questioned in context of a strictly operant definition of punishment. A reexamination of the data from some studies reveals the possibility that Ss respond to said DRL…

Attempts to examine sensory reinforcement with the autistic and mentally handicapped child arose in relation to both the study of receptor development and more treatment-oriented research. (Author/SW)

Although they express some reservations, the authors report that a consistent pattern of evidence from 10 studies suggests that implementation of a positive reinforcement program is accompanied by some reduction in employee absenteeism. (Author/IRT)

A literature review revealed what does not work in character education: lecturing, authoritative teaching styles, external codes of ethics, and lack of student participation in setting ethics agendas. What works are use of community context; enhanced school, family, and community environment; peer education; cooperative learning; and giving…

This study examined the recent research dealing with humor, praise, and criticism in the classroom and evaluated the results with respect to the early adolescent. It is posited that the use of humor, praise, and criticism can both positively and negatively affect the academic achievement and social growth of students at the middle level of…

Analyzes associative structures underlying goal-directed behavior using well-developed techniques for studying Pavlovian conditioning. Identifies the roles of the stimulus, response, and reinforcer in instrumental learning. A response and its reinforcer must be associated for acquisition and maintenance of instrumental behavior. (Author/LHW)

The paper presents data suggesting that differential reinforcement procedures can be used to control multiple maladaptive behaviors of severely multihandicapped persons in group situations. Modifications of traditional differential reinforcement scheduling and interval calulations, are introduced. (Author/CL)