Stimulus control in the classroom as a function of the behavior reinforced

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Behavioral Analysis

Background:

• Children with behavior problems often struggle with maintaining focus and appropriate conduct in classroom settings.
• Teacher presence significantly influences student behavior and academic performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of different reinforcement strategies on the behavior and academic output of children with behavior problems during teacher absence.
• To determine if reinforcement for academic products is more effective than reinforcement for on-task behavior in promoting independence.

Main Methods:

• Eight fifth- and sixth-grade students with behavior problems participated in classroom sessions under three conditions: baseline, reinforcement for on-task behavior, and reinforcement for academic accuracy and rate.
• Teacher absence was systematically introduced during each condition.

Main Results:

• Teacher absence led to significant declines in on-task behavior and increases in disruption across all reinforcement conditions.
• Reinforcement for academic accuracy and rate, compared to on-task behavior, reduced disruption and increased the number of problems attempted during teacher absence.
• Academic accuracy and the number of problems attempted decreased during teacher absence, irrespective of reinforcement type.

Conclusions:

• Contingent reinforcement for academic products (accuracy and rate) can enhance student independence and reduce disruptive behaviors during teacher absence.
• Focusing reinforcement on the outcomes of learning, rather than simply on-task behavior, may increase student engagement with academic materials.