Effective training programs for individuals with disabilities often involve the use of positive reinforcement. Social interactions have many benefits over other forms of reinforcement, but more research is needed to determine how to identify social interactions that serve as reinforcers. In the first experiment, we evaluated the use of two…

Several studies have demonstrated effects of stimulus-stimulus pairing (SSP) on children's vocalizations, but numerous treatment failures have also been reported. The present study attempted to isolate procedural variables related to failures of SSP to condition speech sounds as reinforcers. Three boys diagnosed with autism-spectrum disorders…

Given research findings that women have a strong tendency to describe the ideal man as androgynous, perhaps social interaction with an androgynous male could be seen as a social reward, whereas interaction with a masculine male may be less rewarding or aversive for women. A study was conducted to determine the functional properties of androgyny as…

WORKING FROM A POPULATION OF SEVERELY AND PROFOUNDLY RETARDED RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL PATIENTS, AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO DEVISE AN EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM FOR TRAINING SUBJECTS ON SELECTED WORKSHOP TASKS. TASK ANALYSIS WAS EMPLOYED TO DESCRIBE THE RESPECTIVE VOCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS AND TO SPECIFY BEHAVIORAL REQUIREMENTS. TRAINING PROGRAMS BASED UPON THE…

Investigated were the effects of reinforcement contingencies in two different arithmetic situations--acquisition and proficiency with seven 8-11 year-old learning disabled boys. (Author/DB)

Examined with five preschool male children (1 year, 11 months to 2 years, 6 months old) was the effectiveness of a behaviorally oriented treatment program to reduce hyperactivity. Ss were enrolled in a behavior modification class which met for 2 hours per day, 3 days per week, and parents were enrolled in a parent training program. Among findings…

The behavior of four boys who were referred for oppositional, rule violating, and aggressive behaviors was assessed by direct observation and parent reports. Changing contract behavior to solitary toy play resulted in reduced oppositional behavior during the observation sessions, fewer reports from the parents of low-rate problem behaviors, and…

The study undertook to teach and fix the reading of meaningful symbols (hiragana, the Japanese syllabary alphabet, and kanji, Chinese characters) to a mildly retarded 7 year old Japanese boy. The phonological method was used to teach hiragana and pictures were used to teach kanji. Behavior modification using reinforcement and time out was…

This paper describes a portion of the Kennedy Youth Center program concerned with motivating previously intractable sociopathic youths in the academic and industrial arts schools. Male delinquents considered uneducable in traditional education programs, have been advanced two years in the one year they spent as participants in the differential…