Thirty-five 6- to 10-year-old children with initial low rates of donating to help a peer either received a fine for each failure to donate or also were informed of the contingency between the fine and failure to donate. (JH)

Using free time as a consequence was effective in maintaining accuracy while increasing the percentage of arithmetic assignments completed by an underachieving seven-year-old. Follow-up data revealed that the improvements were maintained even though no programmed consequences were in effect. (Author/CL)

The Immediate Reinforcement and Remediation (IRR) method is advocated as a systematic approach to aid in the success of mainstreamed elementary slow learning and learning disabled students. IRR allows the resource room teacher to followup on identified critical lessons using different materials and aids. (CL)

An 11 year old learning disabled boy was taught two different strategies, both of which markedly improved his handwriting performance on a paragraph copying task. Results for the study indicated that allowing the student his choice of strategies produced better performance than did teacher determined choices. (Author)

Examines some basic principles underlying success or failure in classroom management and suggests activities to promote cooperative awareness among students. (CM)

Four mini-posters featuring imaginary animal characters which can be used by elementary school teachers to reinforce positive classroom behaviors. (CM)

The differential effects of contingent reward (candy), punishment (loss of candy), and knowledge of results (KOR) were investigated in eighty 9- to 10-year-old males. Level of performance of groups receiving KOR was significantly higher than performance on groups rewarded or punished with candy. (MS)

Some practices intended to foster self-esteem may instead contribute to self-preoccupation. Self-esteem is fostered when children have opportunities to build self-confidence through effort, persistence, and acquisition of skills, knowledge, and appropriate behavior. Rather than overpraise children, teachers should treat them with respect, solicit…

Research has indicated that children learn material evaluated as positive more readily than negatively assessed material. This finding is termed a positive reinforcement value effect. The study extended the research in this area, focusing on the effects of intelligence, self-concept, and age on the affective learning styles of 55 children, (6-11…

THE USE OF REWARDS AS INCENTIVES TO INFLUENCE BEHAVIOR WAS STUDIED AND AN EVALUATION WAS MADE OF THE INCENTIVE VALUE OF EACH OF THE REWARDS. PORTABLE VERSIONS OF THE WISCONSIN GENERAL TEST APPARATUS WERE USED TO TEST 120 CHILDREN FROM GRADES 1, 3, AND 5. FOR A DISCRIMINATION LEARNING TEST EACH CHILD WAS PRESENTED 5 STIMULI THAT WERE SELECTED FROM…

Examines the effects of individual goal structures on the intra- and interpersonal behavior of 120 fourth-grade children. Both boys and girls appeared to adopt the evaluations of their work given by the experimenter and appeared to be influenced thereby in later prize-giving to themselves and to others. (Author)

Suggests that teachers need practice in differentiating their responses to student behavior in order that they may enhance the effectiveness of their responses. The author gives some alternatives to the use of praise and also examines four types of praise. (Author/HMV)

A child with a diagnosis of mild mental retardation was treated for encopresis. Positive reinforcement procedures for continence and logical consequences for soiling were effective in accomplishing complete continence during the final phase of treatment. An ABCDA design with a decelerating rate of reinforcement was utilized to assess treatment…