Indexador

Resumo não informado pela fonte indexada.

The effects and side effects of overcorrection for self‐stimulatory behaviors of two children in a specialized day‐care program were evaluated. For one child, a “hand” overcorrection procedure involving arm and hand exercises was introduced contingent upon inappropriate hand movements and later contingent upon inappropriate foot movements. After “hand” overcorrection was withdrawn for inappropriate foot movements, a “foot” overcorrection procedure involving foot and leg exercises was introduced contingent upon inappropriate foot movements. For a second child, the “hand” overcorrection procedure was introduced contingent upon inappropriate hand movements during a free‐play period, and later contingent upon inappropriate vocalizations at naptime. “Hand” overcorrection was withdrawn and then re‐introduced sequentially for both behaviors. Several concurrent behaviors were measured to assess multiple effects of treatment. Results for both children indicated the “hand” overcorrection procedure suppressed inappropriate hand movements and inappropriate behaviors that were topographically dissimilar. In addition, inverse relationships were observed between the second child's inappropriate hand movements and appropriate toy usage during free play and between his inappropriate vocalizations and inappropriate foot movements during naptime. Results suggest that overcorrection procedures that are effective for one behavior can be used to reduce the frequency of topographically different behaviors. This finding is discussed in terms of its practical implications for therapists.

Three groups of four pigeons, trained to press a treadle on a free‐operant avoidance schedule, were given auditory discrimination training. Alternating 2‐min components of avoidance and no shock were paired with either a tone or white noise. The pigeons were subsequently given two types of generalization tests, with and without avoidable shocks scheduled. Two of the groups, trained interdimensionally, produced excitatory and inhibitory generalization gradients along the tone frequency dimension. A predicted post‐discrimination gradient was computed from the algebraic summation of these gradients of excitation and inhibition. The predicted gradient was compared with the actual post‐discrimination gradient obtained from the third group of pigeons that had been given intradimensional discrimination training on the tone frequency dimension. The predicted postdiscrimination gradient agreed in shape with the empirical postdiscrimination gradient. The results in general support Spence's (1937) gradient interaction theory.

Twelve chronic hospitalized female patients received token reinforcement contingent on two separate classes of verbalizations: (a) positive statements about optional activities available in the hospital setting, and (b) positive statements about people. Cross‐class generalization of reinforced verbal responses about activities to overt behavior was tested by actual participation in activities; within‐class generalization of verbal responses about people to verbalizations in another stimulus setting was assessed in a structured interview situation. A multiple baseline design with contingency reversals was employed to demonstrate experimental control of both classes of verbalizations in the group sessions. Positive statements about activities generalized to actual participation in activities, while generalization of positive statements about people to verbalization in the extra‐group setting did not occur.

Groups of three rats were placed in a chamber containing one response lever and one water dispenser. A variety of schedule conditions were explored including fixed ratio, extinction, satiation, fixed interval, fixed time, differential reinforcement of low rates, and discrimination learning. Each group was treated as a single unit, with the collective lever responses emitted by the three rats being the main dependent variable. Group responding was found to be controlled by the reinforcement schedules in an orderly and consistent manner. However, the groups often paused less and responded faster than individual rats working under identical conditions.

The relative effects of rules, rules + feedback, and rules + feedback + group and individual consequences for appropriate behavior were investigated in three elementary classrooms during reading and mathematics periods. The consequences were individual and group praise, and group activities. The total intervention package (rules + feedback + group and individual consequences) was most effective in increasing appropriate behavior. Rules + feedback produced increased appropriate behavior in two of the three classrooms. Rules alone produced no change in classroom behavior. Maintenance of appropriate classroom behavior was noted approximately three weeks after the program ended. Teacher's correct use of praise was also maintained for two of the three teachers at levels generated during the total package condition.

Resumo não informado pela fonte indexada.

An apparatus was designed to monitor handwriting behavior. Two subjects were studied under various schedules of monetary reinforcement for handwriting. The different schedules engendered and maintained distinctive response patterns but the rates of sustained responding did not vary across schedules. The development of fixed‐interval performance following continuous reinforcement resembled the same transition in lower animals. In one subject, availability of reading material interacted with the schedule to determine response pattern. It was suggested that handwriting may be a more appropriate response for the experimental analysis of human behavior than the more frequently used button‐pushing or lever‐pulling responses.

After 30 days of operant training, with pecking responses to aerial photographs containing man‐made objects reinforced with food, and no food reinforcement for pecking on photographs not containing man‐made objects, a discrimination to the two classes of photographs was obtained. The discriminative response generalized to photographs with which the pigeons had no previous experience. This study demonstrates that pigeons are capable of forming relatively high‐order concepts. Some possible stimulus properties controlling the discrimination are discussed.

Elementary school students who frequently answered questions incorrectly in class were given daily homework assignments in social studies and math, but they rarely completed the assignments accurately and their classroom performance in social studies and math was only slightly better than when they did not have homework assignments. However, consequences provided for accurate completion of homework assignments increased the number of students completing homework and the accuracy with which homework assignments were completed. Further, assignments of homework with consequences for accuracy were associated with more accurate classroom performance.