Response and reinforcement features of operant discrimination paradigms used in audiometric assessment were investigated with normal 17-month-old children. Findings indicated more responses prior to onset of habituation when response tasks involved complex central processing skills and a twofold increase in number of subject responses when…

Siblings of three moderately retarded children were taught to use a prompt sequence and social praise to train siblings in domestic tasks. The training skills of the nonhandicapped children generalized to teaching new skills and the independent skill performance of handicapped siblings increased as a result of the training. (Author/DB)

A detailed hypothesis of the acquisition and maintenance of self-stimulatory behavior is offered, proposing that such behaviors are operant responses whose reinforcers are automatically produced perceptual consequences. Related concepts are discussed, and support for the hypothesis from the areas of sensory reinforcement and sensory deprivation is…

A study to find out how teachers involve parents in learning programs is described. Teachers are advised to send letters to the parents of students they will be teaching the following year asking for support in overcoming summer learning loss. Specific activities teachers could suggest are offered. (MT)

A standard operant procedure, Visual Reinforcement Audiometry, was modified to enhance 16 infants' attention to impending auditory signals. The modified technique achieved an average 5.5 dB improvement in threshold over the conventional technique. Correction for adult performance in similar tasks indicated a 3.3 dB attentional effect between…

The study evaluated the effectiveness of superimposition and subsequent removal of a schedule of continuous reinforcement (CRF) as a rate-decreasing procedure in efforts to eliminate unwanted behaviors. Examination of lever-pressing patterns of eight male rats showed responding was substantially reduced during the superimposition of CRF but…

The use of one specific ego-enhancing hypnotic approach, a technique that employs a conditioned "trigger," the clenched fist, to facilitate the changing of troublesome emotional states, is described. Forty first-year university students were the subjects of the study. (MLW)

Developmental changes in conditions engendering pride and embarrassment were explored. Among other results, developmental change was found in the standards used to evaluate emotional experiences; references to social comparison increased with age and references to mastery decreased. (PCB)

Describes how group leaders can improve therapeutic outcomes by understanding the importance of hope as a curative factor, and by learning specific strategies for its installation in counseling groups. (Author/KS)

Successful programs designed to encourage protective behaviors (e.g., wearing safety belts and using child safety seats) have applied such behavioral principles as a combination of rewards, feedback, guidance, contingency management, and modeling. (Author/DB)

Discusses the problems encountered by adults who are beginning artists. States that a teacher's failure to recognize these problems can adversely affect creative behavior and enjoyment of art. Describes the Hoffman Scale of Visual Interpretation and considers its use in the positive reinforcement of these beginning artists. (GEA)

Discusses ways that the vocational teacher can provide a good environment for learning. Techniques include (1) knowing the students, (2) planning instruction, (3) preparing physical surroundings, (4) fostering good relationships with and among students, (5) varying strategies, (6) providing praise, and (7) sponsoring a vocational student…

An automated training device was used in the differential reinforcement of an incompatible behavior in the treatment of hand mouthing of a boy with profound mental retardation and blindness. The presentation of music and vibration contingent upon bilateral hand-switch placement resulted in substantial and sustained reduction of hand mouthing with…

Chicano and Anglo fourth-grade children were categorized into three acculturation levels and contrasted on two tests of field dependence. No relationship occurred between level of acculturation and field dependence or type of reinforcement. Additional study is needed to control for the correlations among field dependence, acculturation, SES, and…

Compared the reinforcement expectancies of adult alcoholics with beliefs of men and women in alcohol treatment programs, hospitalized medical patients, and college students through the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ). Results indicated the previously defined AEQ beliefs apply to the alcoholic population and these populations significantly…