Effects of Differential Reinforcement Procedures on Discrimination Learning by Institutionalized Mentally Retarded Children

1973 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 447-450
Author(s):  
John Raymond Blair ◽  
Bruce R. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Differential Reinforcement ◽  
Mentally Retarded ◽  
The Other ◽  
Social Reinforcement ◽  
Contingent Reinforcement ◽  
Token Reinforcement ◽  
Response Contingent ◽  
Mentally Retarded Children ◽  
Reinforcement Procedure

Institutionalized mentally retarded children performed on a two-choice discrimination task under one of 6 conditions of reward (response-contingent consumable, response-contingent nonconsumable, token-consumable, token-nonconsumable, token, social). The results indicated that response-contingent nonconsumable rewards were not more distracting than response-contingent consumable rewards nor was the presentation of material rewards by the token-reinforcement procedure less distracting than the response-contingent reinforcement procedure. Further, social reinforcement was less effective than response-contingent nonconsumable rewards; however, no differences were found between social reinforcement and the other material rewards regardless of reinforcement procedure.

Evaluation of Distractibility of Material Reinforcers and Procedures on Discrimination Learning

1972 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 535-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Raymond Blair
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Discrimination Learning ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Reward System ◽  
Third Grade ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Contingent Reinforcement ◽  
Size Discrimination ◽  
Response Contingent ◽  
Reinforcement Procedure

Third-grade middle-class children performed a size-discrimination task under one of 5 reward conditions (consumable, nonconsumable, token-consumable, token-nonconsumable, token) or a control condition. The reward groups were comparable in performance and markedly superior to the control group. Contrary to expectations, response-contingent nonconsumable rewards were not more distracting than response-contingent consumable rewards nor was the token-reward system for presenting these material rewards less distracting than the response-contingent reinforcement procedure.

Acceptability of a Visual Screening Procedure for Reducing Stereotypy in Mentally Retarded Children: Evaluation by New Zealand Institutional Staff

1987 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver C. Mudford
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Differential Reinforcement ◽  
Retarded Child ◽  
Mentally Retarded ◽  
Staff Nurses ◽  
Screening Procedure ◽  
Occupational Groups ◽  
Visual Screening ◽  
Treatment Package ◽  
Mentally Retarded Children

The acceptability of three treatments for the maladaptive, but not injurious, repetitive stereotyped behaviour of a mentally retarded child was evaluated. Evaluation was conducted by questionnaires to two groups of staff (nurses and teachers) at two New Zealand institutions for mentally retarded people. A differential reinforcement procedure was found to be most acceptable. A visual screening procedure was judged as being more than moderately acceptable by nurses but less than moderately acceptable by teachers. When visual screening and reinforcement were combined in a treatment package and a rationale for so doing was provided, acceptability was increased significantly for both groups of staff. Teachers rated visual screening, when explicitly prescribed with differential reinforcement, as more than moderately acceptable. The implications of the finding of differential rating of acceptability across and within occupational groups was discussed.

Comparison of Nonretarded and Mentally Retarded Children on Tasks Involving Direct and Rule-Governed Imitation

1976 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen D. Boyce ◽  
Leroy Clinton
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Mentally Retarded ◽  
Imitation Learning ◽  
Social Reinforcement ◽  
Reinforcement Condition ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Type Interaction ◽  
Mentally Retarded Children ◽  
Intellectual Level

The influence of intellectual level and social reinforcement on imitation learning was examined. Tasks involving direct and rule-governed imitation of a model were presented to 20 mentally retarded and 20 nonretarded children. The children within each group were randomly assigned to either an affective (“good-fine”) or an informative (“correct-right”) social reinforcement condition. Reinforcement, administered on a fixed ratio (FR4) schedule, was contingent on the child's imitative behavior. A multivariate analysis of variance showed that both the Population X Reinforcement Type interaction and the Reinforcement main effect were significant. Univariate follow-up tests showed that only rule-governed imitation contributed significantly to the multivariate effects. Analysis of simple effects indicated that retarded children performed optimally under affective reinforcement, while the nonretarded children performed highest under informative reinforcement.

Specific and Diversive Curiosity in Students in Special Education Classes

1986 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 307-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Beer
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Social Adjustment ◽  
School System ◽  
Mentally Retarded ◽  
The Other ◽  
Maze Test ◽  
Rural School System ◽  
Mentally Retarded Children ◽  
Diversive Curiosity ◽  
Small Rural School

Two tests of curiosity, designed for mentally retarded or nonverbal individuals, were given to 40 children selected from classes for gifted, learning disabilities, personal and social adjustment, and mentally retarded children in a small rural school system in the midwest. Each subject was administered four trials with the Maze Test, a measure of diversive curiosity (a state induced by conditions of changelessness, repetition, and monotony) and one trial with the Which-to-discuss Test, a measure of specific curiosity (a state induced by conditions and stimuli high in complexity, incongruity, or novelty). The gifted group performed significantly higher on the Which-to-discuss Test than the other three groups, and the mentally retarded performed significantly lower on the Maze Test than the other three groups.

Use of Contingent Social Reinforcement to Change the Verbal Expression of Motivation by Children of Differing Motivational Orientation

1975 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 547-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Carl Haywood ◽  
Harvey N. Switzky
Keyword(s):  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
Motivational Orientation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Social Reinforcement ◽  
Contingent Reinforcement ◽  
Verbal Reinforcement ◽  
Verbal Expression ◽  
Good For ◽  
Task Oriented

Ability to discriminate task-intrinsic from task-extrinsic sentences, and changes in choices of such sentences under differential verbal reinforcement, were investigated in 48 intrinsically motivated and 48 extrinsically motivated children. On each of 75 trials, two sentences were presented simultaneously to each. S. One of the sentences connoted task-intrinsic motivation and the other connoted task-extrinsic motivation. Ss' task was to choose one of the sentences in each pair and to read it aloud. One-third of the children in each group were socially reinforced (“good”) for choosing sentences indicative of intrinsic motivation; one-third were socially reinforced by choosing sentences indicative of extrinsic motivation; one-third were reinforced noncontingently. Children in the contingent reinforcement groups were able to discriminate the motivational statements, as reflected by significant effects of the contingent reinforcement on the frequency of their choices. Implications for a strategy for training persons to behave in a task-oriented manner are discussed.

An Evaluation of a Programed Textbook with Educable Mentally Retarded Children

1967 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan S. Rainey ◽  
Francis J. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Mentally Retarded ◽  
The Other ◽  
Attention Theory ◽  
Commercial Program ◽  
Mentally Retarded Children ◽  
Educable Mentally Retarded

A commercial programed arithmetic textbook and two teacher made programs, one using the rote approach, the other using the understanding approach, were evaluated with EMR students as subjects. The teacher made programs were designed to follow suggestions from the attention theory of Zeaman and House (1963). The rote approach was highly significant for learning division facts. Implications for the classroom and suggestions for revision of the commercial program are given.

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