The effect of vicarious reinforcement on attentive behavior in the classroom

The effect of social reinforcement delivered to target subjects on the attentive behavior of adjacent peers was examined in a classroom setting. In a combined reversal and multiple baseline design, two pairs of mentally retarded children were sequentially exposed to three reinforcement phases. After baseline rates of attentive behavior were obtained, praise was delivered to the target subject in each subject pair for attentive behavior. After a reversal phase, praise was delivered contingently to target subjects for inattentive behavior. In a final phase, contingent praise for attentive behavior was reinstated for the target subjects. Throughout the study, nontarget subjects received no direct reinforcers. The results indicated a vicarious reinforcement effect. Reinforcing attentive behavior of target subjects increased this behavior in adjacent peers. However, reinforcing inattentive behavior of target subjects also increased the attentive behavior of adjacent peers. The effects obtained through vicarious reinforcement were considered to reflect the discriminative stimulus properties of reinforcement, which may serve as a cue for the performance of nonreinforced peers.     

The effect of a teacher's presence on the classroom behavior of conduct-problem children

Six institutionalized conduct-problem children performed in a classroom under three reinforcement conditions: (1) noncontingent reinforcement: (2) reinforcement for being on task and (3) reinforcement for the accuracy and rate fo their academic behavior. Within each of these conditions, the teacher was either present throughout the class session or absent for a portion of the session. In the teacher's absence, on-task behavior was markedly reduced and disruption was markedly increased, regardless of the reinforcement condition in operation. In contrast, the teacher's absence had no effect on academic accuracy and had a major effect on academic rate only when reinforcement was delivered noncontingently. Furthermore, the extent to which the children became disruptive in the teacher's absence was reduced when reinforcement was contingent upon academic accuracy and rate, instead of being contingent upon being on task or delivered noncontingently. It is suggested that the reinforcement of academic behavior, rather than on-task behavior or classroom social behavior, not only will improve the latter behaviors as well, but possibly also make them less dependent upon the presence and continued surveillance of the teacher.     

Effects of social problem-solving training on classroom behavior of urban disadvantaged students

Sixty-four urban disadvantaged fourth- and fifth-grade students were assigned to one of the following four treatment conditions: social problem-solving training, response cost, social problem-solving training plus response cost, and no treatment control. Those exposed to problem-solving training improved on measures of alternative thinking and consequential thinking skills. The training, however, did not affect teacher ratings of student behavior or observed classroom behavioral functioning. In addition, the response cost procedure did not enhance acquisition or utilization of problem-solving skills.     

Mathematics anxiety among eighth-grade students of the United Arab Emirates.

To investigate the mathematics anxiety of 159 students in Grade 8 (M age = 14.3 yr.) in the United Arab Emirates a 28-item anxiety scale was administered. Analysis indicated some mathematics anxiety. Also, boys and girls scored significantly differently as boys had the higher mean.     

Training parents as behavior modifiers: self-recording of contingent attention

Two mothers of deviant young children were instructed to count their episodes of attention to appropriate child behavior in their homes, using wrist counters. Attention and appropriate child behavior were defined before counting began. Independent observations of parent-child interactions showed that, for each mother-child pair, the percentage of maternal attention given following appropriate child behavior increased, as did the child's appropriate behavior. Removal of the counters did not produce a reversal of the behaviors; instead the increased level stabilized. One mother was then instructed to count her attention to inappropriate child behavior and to decrease it. This instruction had little effect on her attention, and her child's behavior did not change. When both parents were again instructed to count their episodes of attention to appropriate behavior, further improvements in both mothers, and in their children resulted. These results were obtained despite inaccurate parent self-recording. Follow-up observations made over the next five months showed these behavioral gains to be durable. A third parent and his child were unaffected by this training procedure. Thus, there are instances in which self-recording may function as an effective and economical parent-training technique for effecting improvements in child behavior.     

Effects of using self-recording and self-observation in reducing disruptive behavior

In an attempt to reduce the levels of disruptive behavior, six participants in a school for students with behavior disorders were shown edited videotapes depicting themselves appropriately engaged in classroom activities. The participants were first exposed to a training condition in which both appropriate and inappropriate behaviors of a peer were either observed or observed and recorded. In the intervention condition, the participants either self-observed and self-recorded their behaviors from videotape or simply observed themselves on videotape. The results showed idiosyncratic effects across both conditions. Measures of treatment integrity and treatment acceptability were also conducted. The results of this study are compared with similar research investigating self-observation interventions.     

The effect of self-recording and social reinforcement components of parent training programs

This investigation attempted to assess the effectiveness of two components of parent training programs: (1) the effect of a self-behavior management project prior to intervention with deviant child behaviors, and (2) that of social reinforcement from peers and the consultant. Four groups of parents were exposed to a basic training program and were measured on their success in an intervention program in the inappropriate behavior of their children (ages 7–9 years). Two groups of parents were requested to do a self-modification program prior to the intervention with deviant child behavior; two groups did a child intervention program without a self-management project. One group in the self-management and one group without self-management received verbal social reinforcement from peers and the consultant during interventions. Results obtained indicate that the parent group whose training involved a self-behavior management project prior to intervention with their child's inappropriate behavior and verbal social reinforcement achieved a significantly greater reduction of these behaviors when compared to the groups where either self-management of social reinforcement was used.     

The normalizing effects of methylphenidate on the classroom behavior of ADDH children

This study examined whether methylphenidate normalizes the behavior of hyperactive children (ADDH). Twenty-eight ADDH children were treated for 8 weeks with a mean dose of 41.5 mg/d of methylphenidate. Their classroom behavior and that of normal children was recorded by observers who were blind to diagnosis and treatment. Before treatment, all measures significantly differentiated the ADDH and normal children. After treatment, the two groups were indistinguishable on measures of gross and minor motor movement, noncompliance, interference, and overall hyperactivity. ADDH children were significantly improved on measures of attention but continued to be significantly less attentive. In many ways, the ADDH children were not only improved but indistinguishable from their normal peers.This paper was supported by NIMH grants 30822 and 18579. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Beth Landa, Ph.D., who performed the statistical analyses.     

The effect of humor on aggression catharsis in the classroom

Two studies were designed to measure the cathartic effects of humor on aggressive responses. In the first study, two versions (easy and difficult) of Raven's intelligence test were administered to two groups of high school students. Only the easy version could be solved in the alloted time. Rosenzweig's (1951) Picture Frustration test was then administered and the students' aggressive responses were scored. Results showed that those who did not solve the problems had significantly higher scores on aggressivity than did the others. The second study, using four different groups, was planned according to a modified Solomon design. Two of the four groups of students completed the difficult part of the Raven test, and then two video-tapes were presented: a humorous one to two groups and a neutral one to the others. Finally, the Rosenzweig Picture Frustration test was administered to all four groups. An analysis of variance computed on the aggressivity scores showed one significant difference: frustrated students who viewed the humorous videotape had lower scores than those viewing the neutral one.     

The effects of reciprocal peer tutoring with a group contingency on quiz performance in vocabulary with seventh-and eighth-grade students

The purpose of this study was to compare reciprocal peer tutoring with a group contingency to a traditional vocabulary program in a regular middle-school classroom. The participants were 20 seventh and 12 eighth-grade students enrolled in a private parochial school. A counter-balanced time-series design was employed to evaluate the effects of reciprocal peer tutoring across the two groups of students. The overall results indicated that when students participated in reciprocal peer tutoring, scores on weekly quizzes in vocabulary were signifcantly higher. Reciprocal peer tutoring with a group contingency was beneficial to middle school students, easy to implement, and a cost- and time-efficient system for teachers and students. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of the size of the test environment on behavior under two temporally defined schedules

The effect of the size of the floor area of the operant test chamber on behavior was tested using a standard-size test chamber and a test chamber with one-fourth of the floor area of the standard chamber. Two groups of pigeons were tested under a differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate 15-sec schedule or a variable-interval 60-sec schedule. Both groups of pigeons had higher response rates while in the smaller floor area. Pigeons under the differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate schedule also showed a decrease in rate of reinforcement, an increase in ratio of responses to reinforcements, and an alteration in interresponse-time-per-opportunity distributions when tested in the reduced floor-area condition. These effects are similar to those found under physical restraint, indicating that amount of floor space available for locomotion interacts with schedule behavior and that physical restraint may be regarded as the lower limiting value of amount of floor area available for locomotion.     

The effects of a videotape feedback system on classroom teacher behavior

Teachers in eight matched schools, four experimental and four control, were videotaped to examine the effects of a staff development program utilizing knowledge of objectives and immediate videotape feedback to modify the behavior of classroom teachers. Playback teachers improved cognitive behaviors but not affective behaviors more than controls. Concomitants of teacher success in the program were also investigated. Characteristics contributing to positive behavioral changes were dissatisfaction with perceived effectiveness, teaching experience, recency of latest degree, teacher attitude toward students, and student achievement.