An energy audit is a building inspection that, when complete, provides a profile of the building's energy usage. The energy audit determines how energy is used; simple maintenance and operating procedures to conserve energy; and the need, if any, for purchase of new energy saving equipment or modifications to the building. Schoolhouse Energy…

To study improvement of visual monitoring of retardates, specialized training methods backed up by incentives were used. The extent to which these training techniques might be expected to produce results which would generalize was explored. Subjects were eight female mental retardates (ages 15-22) with IQs from 38 to 69. (Author/SJL)

Currently, three theories of learning dominate classroom practice. First, B.F. Skinner's Theory of Operant Conditioning states that if behavior, including learning behavior, is reinforced, the probability of its being repeated increases strongly. Different types and schedules of reinforcement have been studied, by Skinner and others, and the…

Describes theoretical developments that have guided the interpretation of findings in a large-scale study of the development of aggression over 22 years. As the data have accumulated, they have been found to be relevant to operant formulations as well as to social learning theory and cognitive behaviorism. (Author/VM)

Psychology instructors and textbook authors rate operant conditioning as one of the most essential concepts for students to learn, yet textbook writers, as well as students, can fall prey to misconceptions. This study is a content analysis of the presentation of operant conditioning in introductory psychology textbooks and their companion Web…

This is a review of the contingency management literature and current related treatment programs for stuttering in childhood: the Lidcombe Program, Gradual Increase in Length and Complexity of Utterance (GILCU), and Prolongation (PS). Treatment efficacy research has shown these treatments to be effective and efficient for children, but there…

This second article in a series about cooling classrooms by ventilation describes the equipment available to help save energy and money. The first article appeared in the July 1981 issue. (Author/MLF)

Use of a tangible reinforcer plus social reinforcement was found to be more effective in training a 33-year-old male with profound mental retardation to brush his teeth than social reinforcement alone. Determination of true positive reinforcers and training staff members to carry out such treatment programs are also discussed. (Author/VW)

Parents of three Down's Syndrome infants, aged 2-8 months, provided continuous reinforcement for vocalization (CRF) and differential reinforcement of other-than-vocalization (DRO). All infants produced systematically higher vocalization rates during CRF, even though the amount of social stimulation during DRO was equal to or greater than the…

This essay introduces a series of studies developing a statistical theory of elementary learning processes. An attempt is made to derive relations among commonly used measures of behavior and quantitative expressions describing simple learning phenomena. Laws of the theory state probability relations between momentary changes in behavioral and…

This paper reviews the recent parent training research in which parents are taught to use principles of operant learning as well as general principles of positive verbal discourse. While this combination of interventions has been shown to have greater impact than the operant guidelines used alone, a rationale for the discourse strategy is not…

Reinforcers lose their effectiveness when they are presented repeatedly. Early researchers labeled this loss of effectiveness as "satiation" without conducting an experimental analysis. When such an analysis is conducted, "habituation" provides a more precise and empirically accurate label for the changes in reinforcer effectiveness. This paper…

Studied the effect of gaming as an approach to reducing employee absenteeism. A longitudinal study in a small manufacturing plant, showed significant improvement in employee attitude and cooperation due to the opportunity for communication. Operant conditioning also resulted in somewhat lower absenteeism and tardiness. (Author/JAC)

A discussion of the psychological impact of the African-American experience with the U.S. educational system focuses on how this psychological conditioning affects African-American students' performance on standardized tests and in college courses. It draws on theories of intellectual development and recent research on testing in African Americans…

Research has shown that a school building's condition affects student achievement and behavior and that certain facility design elements can improve the learning climate. An ideal CDC (cost-design-climate) associative environment has a balanced interrelationship among the three elements. Unnecessarily emphasizing one or more elements may seriously…