Reports on a study that used positive reinforcement on a group of fourth and fifth graders to underscore the contingent relationship between student behavior and environment and thus develop a more internal locus of control. Shows that experimental subjects were significantly more internal than their placebo or control group counterparts following…

Assesses the extent to which children can be taught to increase the frequency of good things in their day and to be more aware of these highlights. A study of 39 students who participated in a positive perspectives intervention program showed both an increased awareness of highlights and positive feelings. (RJM)

Creativity measures and samples of private speech were collected from 42 preschool and kindergarten children. Statistical analysis revealed significant positive relationships among creativity measures, solving speech, and coping/reinforcing speech. Coping and reinforcing private speech were linked with high creativity measures. (DB)

This study of interactions between three severely withdrawn, autistic preschool children and six nonhandicapped peers found that peers can be effectively taught strategies to increase appropriate social behaviors of autistic classmates, and a group-oriented reinforcement contingency is an effective complement to teacher-prompted interventions and…

This study, involving four staff members in an institution for people with mental retardation, found that a computerized system of prompts to improve staff-client interactions produced more positive statements, improved distribution of interaction among clients, and resulted in delivery of more positive reinforcement than a traditional…

Examination of effects on 27 secondary students' Spanish vocabulary quiz performance of 2 variables (group versus individual study and group versus individual contingencies) found that, overall, group study was superior to individual study and, within the group study condition, group contingencies were superior to individual contingencies.…

A behavioral treatment program was used to improve the functional skills of a 12-year-old anoxic child. Neuropsychological test results indicated marked amnesia and global cognitive deficits. Functionally, self-care tasks could be performed, but only with verbal and physical prompting. Introduction of a monetary reward system significantly reduced…

This exploratory study provides a foundation for research on socialization in Japanese schools, identifying types of cooperative and competitive student behavior as seen by teachers. The first of two surveys (each using two questionnaires) asked teachers to list examples of cooperative or competitive behavior. The second, designed from the…

The effect of training in the Cognitive Interaction Analysis System on the way teachers interact with students was studied with 15 graduate students enrolled in a college teaching course. The students represented a variety of disciplines, including agriculture, science, liberal arts, and education. Enrollees were required to teach a typical…

This study used behavioral measures of family interaction to examine four traditional explanatory models for the influence of parents on their children's self-esteem. The four models examined were: (1) identification/modeling, (2) directiveness, (3) reinforcement, and (4) warmth/involvement. A total of 98 fourth- and fifth-grade girls and boys…

Learned helplessness occurs when an organism learns that escape from aversive stimulation and/or the occurrence of reinforcement are independent of response (noncontingent). The learned helplessness model was applied to a classroom setting to examine its relationship to student performance. Response/outcome contingency conditions were combined…

This study investigates the following hypothesis: If the teacher instructs the aide to reinforce good behavior in children, and reinforces the aide for carrying out her instructions, the children' s appropriate behavior will increase. Subjects were seven teacher-aide teams and seven pairs of retarded children (5-20 years of age). For each child,…

Four experiments were designed to identify socioeconomic differences in preschool locus of control, develop a measurement technique for differentiating between internal and external locus of control in preschoolers, and study the effect of four kinds of preschool programs on locus of control. During the first experiment, the Stephens-Delys…

To move toward meeting the needs of the pupils at Carey the following goals have been developed: (1) to challenge each child's ability by diagnosing his strengths and weaknesses and then individualizing instructional activities for him as much as possible; (2) to concentrate on positive methods of control and reinforcement in all activities; (3)…

The Humboldt County Grand Jury (1973-74) examined the attitudes of high school youths toward law enforcement in the California county. Since these are sensitive indicators of their attitudes toward authority in general, results should not be interpreted as being exclusively relevant to law enforcement. The study covered a 4 month period, sampling…