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Goal setting, responsibility training, and fixed ratio reinforcement: Ten‐month application to students with emotional disturbance in a public school setting
Author(s) -
Ruth William J.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6807(199404)31:2<146::aid-pits2310310209>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - psychology , reinforcement , earnings , disturbance (geology) , work (physics) , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , social psychology , applied psychology , medical education , mathematics education , finance , medicine , mechanical engineering , paleontology , engineering , economics , biology
Reviews of treatment strategies for students with emotional disturbance (ED) have noted that most studies (a) do not involve entire classes or groups of classes, (b) are not conducted in public schools, and (c) do not report data for an entire 10‐month school year (September to June). This study applied goal setting (GS), responsibility training (RT), and fixed ratio reinforcement (FRR) to three classes of students with ED in a public elementary school from September to June. GS included daily, weekly, and monthly goals for behavior and work earnings (points). RT included a level system with different reinforcers and privileges for each level, and nonisolated time out with problem solving. FRR included reward contingencies for behavior and work earnings. Data for 10 months indicated that (a) goals were consistently earned at high levels, (b) the percentage of students attaining higher RT levels progressively increased, and (c) time‐out levels progressively decreased, with year‐end spikes below prior peak levels. Findings supported the use of GS, RT, and FRR for students with ED in public school to encourage appropriate behavior and work effort over 10 months. Method limitations and research implications are discussed.