Behavior therapy is by no means simplistic and mechanistic. It is possible to expand the horizons of behavior therapy to include such concepts as cognition and awareness without resorting to mentalistic or Freudian speculation. A new technique, the Idealized Self-Image (ISI) has been devised for the enhancement of self-esteem and learned…

Investigates the effect of delay of reinforcement upon human discrimination learning with particular emphasis on the form of the gradient within the first few seconds of delay. In previous studies subjects are usually required to make an instrumental response to a stimulus, this is followed by the delay interval, and finally, the reinforcement…

This basic independent-suty program in the interactive skills of teaching includes definition, examples, teaching script models, practice programs, and guides for self-study of recorded practice lessons. Special attention is paid to habitual praise and reinforcement, diagnosis, involving and valuing, concept level variation, and controlling…

This report summarizes the results of a study to determine the overall effectiveness of adjunct programming techniques and to determine further whether the form and frequency of self-test questions contained in the adjunct program have differential effects on learning. Four formats of adjunct programs were used by different groups as a supplement…

An investigation of the efficacy of covert negative reinforcement (Ascher and Cautela, 1972) was replicated. Thirty Ss were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Ss in the experimental group were trained to imagine a noxious scene, then to shift to the image of a ringing bell. During the test phase, the word "bell" was used to reinforce over-…

This study investigates the underlying constructs of two instruments which purport to measure the locus of control of reinforcement variable. Instruments used were the IAR and the Career Development Responsibility Scale (CDR). Principal components analyses were computed separately for each instrument from the intercorrelation matrix of the items…

A problem solving skill was investigated to provide direction for training strategies for a proposed personal problem solving training program. There were eight treatment groups utilized including video-tape modeling, audiotape modeling, social modeling through means of a written booklet, parallel treatments for each of these using social…

The theoretical functions of external feedback in SR and closed loop models of verbal learning are presented. Contradictory predictions from the models are tested with a three by three factorial experiment including three types of feedback and three amounts of rehearsal. There were 90 adult students run individually and they were required to learn…

A demonstration Head Start class enrolled 12 to 15 children with problem behaviors. The class utilized behavior modification procedures with individualized programing and natural contingencies. Favorable results were noted; three case studies presented concern an aggressively disruptive child, a severely withdrawn child, and a child whose total…

The methodology used in carrying out a project, the aim of which was to develop a pamphlet which would be meaningful and easily understood by teachers, dealing with classroom application of research on reinforcement principles is described. Preliminary steps of the project included: (1) a review of literature; (2) data gathering by conducting a…

A 4-week training program for the personnel of two federally supported child day-care centers in Tucson had behavior modification of teacher aides as its objective. It was felt that by their mere presence in the classroom, the aides had an effect on the children and should thus be trained in appropriate behavior patterns and reinforcement…

A major concern of this report was to compare the effect of three verbal reinforcement combinations (VRCs) on the rate at which children learn a simultaneous two-choice discrimination problem. The experiments were designed to test the following: (1) whether relative effectiveness of the VRCs was dependent upon task complexity or subject age; (2)…

Compared to other children, Mexican-American children seem less responsive in test-taking and classroom situations. This behavior may be due to a generalized tendency to be conservative risk-takers. This study investigates aspects of this problem by testing four hypotheses: (1) that Mexican-American preschoolers would take fewer chances on a…

As a result of findings of a previous study, this study, which sought to program preschool subjects to wait one minute for reinforcement, used pause-building procedures before delay conditions were started. The children, 3- to 5-year-olds, were designated either Baseline (control) subjects (n=3) or Programmed (experimental) subjects (n=5). Though…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not systematic verbal positive reinforcement administered by two relatively unsophisticated teachers would favorably affect students' achievement scores. Two kindergarten and two first grade classes served as the experimental population with ten students from each class and one teacher from…