To Praise and Ignore Classroom Behaviors, or To Praise and Punish Classroom Behaviors: That Is the Question

The present study involved an experimental analysis of behavior in which the relative efficacy of two behavioral management strategies and their functional relationship to three dependent behaviors (appropriate, time-off-task, and disruptive) were examined. One strategy involved verbally praising appropriate behaviors while concomitantly ignoring disruptive behaviors. The other strategy involved verbally praising appropriate behaviors while concomitantly softly reprimanding disruptive behaviors. The study also incorporated two adjunct investigations. These involved examining the rates of acceleration and deceleration of appropriate and disruptive behaviors during treatment and reversal phases, and examining the teacher's reactions to the two strategies.

(no committee signature sheet was included in the original bound copy)