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TRAINING PROSOCIAL BEHAVIORS TO YOUNG CHILDREN: AN ANALYSIS OF RECIPROCITY WITH UNTRAINED PEERS
Author(s) -
Kohler Frank W.,
Fowler Susan A.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1901/jaba.1985.18-187
Subject(s) - prosocial behavior , psychology , multiple baseline design , reciprocity (cultural anthropology) , contingency management , developmental psychology , intervention (counseling) , reciprocal , peer group , social skills , contingency , token economy , social relation , clinical psychology , social psychology , reinforcement , psychiatry , linguistics , philosophy
We examined the effects of a social skills training package on the play behaviors of three young girls. Two children were taught to invite their peers to play and to use social amenities during their conversations with other children. A combined reversal and multiple baseline across responses design demonstrated that both children directed more social behaviors to their classroom peers after training and that these two children's play invitations were maintained in the later absence of experimental contingencies. In addition, both target children received a greater number of play invitations from their peers during the free play periods. In contrast, a third child's play invitations were not reciprocated by peers; her invitations subsequently decreased in rate after training was discontinued. An interdependent group contingency produced a reciprocal exchange of invitations between this child and her classroom peers. A reversal design demonstrated partial maintenance of subject‐peer exchanges after the group intervention was discontinued. The results obtained with the three target children suggest that peer reciprocity may facilitate the maintenance of children's play invitations over time.