Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 108 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-72).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 64 p. : ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-43).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1972. / Bibliography: leaves 42-44.

Thesis (M. S.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Jon S. Bailey, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 15, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 60 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Preference for single versus varied reinforcers was assessed in the context of a token system. This study also assessed the preferences of 4 participants for one stimulus versus a number of qualitatively different stimuli, presented contingent on academic task completion. A paired-choice preference assessment was conducted followed by a reinforcer assessment using a combined reversal and multi-element design. The purpose of these procedures was to determine whether higher rates of responding would occur during conditions in which token reinforcement produced access to back-up reinforcers compared to a no reinforcement condition. Next, the opportunity to choose single versus varied token reinforcers was presented in a concurrent -chains arrangement. The dependent variables were the number of letters traced per min and the number of tokens earned per min during 3-min sessions, and the percentage of selections for single versus varied conditions. Results showed that response rates during the reinforcer assessment were higher during the reinforcement condition relative to the no reinforcement condition. A preference was not detected for 2 of 4 participants when the opportunity to choose from the same or qualitatively different reinforcers was presented. One of 4 participants preferred selecting the varied-choice condition (i.e., qualitatively different back-up reinforcers), and a second participant showed a similar pattern, but results were inconclusive due to limited data.

Time-out, an effective way of controlling undesirable behavior in children, is considered to potentially yield limited effectiveness for individuals over the age of 11 due to their maturation and their parents’ ability to physically enforce time-out. A practical alternative to time-out for adolescents is Job Card Grounding. Job Card Grounding possesses the same behavioral components of time-out in that it provides a system through which parents can deliver consistent discipline and the adolescent has control over the frequency and duration of the consequence. This study is unique in that Job Card Grounding has not yet been empirically validated in the published literature, though researchers have believed for quite some time that it would be an effective means of managing behavior. Furthermore, recent publications indicate that Job Card Grounding would be an effective behavior management program for individuals ages 11-18 years because it has the recommended qualities of successful behavior management plans such as stability, consistency, and opportunities for positive reinforcement. The current study also explored the effectiveness of Job Card Grounding used in conjunction with a token economy. The effect of Job Card Grounding alone and in combination with a token economy to address the behavior of adolescent males who were wards of the state and resided in a therapeutic group home was assessed across two consecutive summers. In Year 1, an ABB+CA design was utilized to assess the effectiveness of the treatments. The second A phase in Year 1 was a natural withdrawal initiated by the adolescents’ caregiver. In Year 2, an AB design was utilized. The investigators were invited back in Year 2 to re-implement the treatment due to a return of undesirable behaviors. Job Card Grounding alone and with a token economy was found to be effective behavior management tools for this population across both years. The findings of this study may be useful for individuals who work with children and adolescents who have become too old or intellectually advanced for time-out procedures. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed in this paper.

No description available.

This qualitative study examined how a peer teacher implemented, evaluated, and modified a life-skill centered token economy (LSCTE) model. The LSCTE is a hybrid of various components of token economy models that I have researched and observed. It is a classroom management model designed to help students participate in various roles/jobs that prepare them for community involvement and employment by giving them simulated experiences within a micro-society in the classroom. A peer teacher volunteered to implement the LSCTE. The findings demonstrated the participant's success with teaching children responsibility and accountability. Some of the benefits of the model reported by the participant included a well managed and less stressful classroom, which brought her both personal satisfaction and parental praise. The thesis concludes with recommendations and further studies for the LSCTE.

The general purpose of the current study was to evaluate the potency of different categories of reinforcers with young children diagnosed with developmental delays. The participants were two boys and one girl who were between the ages of seven and eight. In Phase 1, we evaluated the reinforcing potency of tokens, edible items, and leisure items by using a progressive ratio (PR) schedule. For two participants, we found that tokens resulted in the highest PR break points. For one participant, edibles resulted in the highest break points (tokens were found to have the lowest break points). In Phase 2, we evaluated the effects of presession access on the break points of edibles and tokens. This manipulation served as a preliminary analysis of the extent to which tokens might function as generalized conditioned reinforcers. During Phase 2, presession access altered the break points of edibles, but not tokens. The findings of the current study suggest that PR schedules may be useful as a means to better assess certain dimensions of tasks and how they affect reinforcer effectiveness (e.g., amount of effort the client is willing to exert, the duration at which the client willing to work, how many responses the client will emit, etc.), and to evaluate to what extent tokens actually function as generalized conditioned reinforcers.

Previous research has examined the effectiveness of placing parents on a variety of incentive programs which would increase their likeliness to participate in school related activities. That research suggested that establishing school as a reinforcing environment for parents was vital. Due to these findings, this study examined the effects of a token economy on parent involvement at a low-income elementary school. Teachers were trained in the data collection method, and parental behavior was observed on a daily, weekly and bi-weekly schedule. Measures of social validity were obtained through teacher and parent questionnaires. The data from the research study suggested that the implementation of the token economy did increase the amount of parent participation, but only on a "micro" level. Parent involvement on a larger scale such as participation in after school activities such as PTA's and other large scale school related activities were not affected.