Peers as behavior modifiers for problem classmates

Peer and teacher interactions with five "disruptive" children were studied within an elementary school classroom. The intent of the study was to analyze experimentally peer reinforcement control of the disruptive children's problem behaviors. Social attention provided by all peers was found to be directed exclusively to the problem behaviors during baseline. Following baseline, several manipulations of selected peer social attention contingencies demonstrated the reinforcement function of the stimulus class, and supported the hypothesis of behavior maintenance from related environmental events. Children were taught to provide differential social attention to the reduction of classroom problem behaviors. Striking decrements in both the mean level of problem behaviors and the individual level of problem behaviors were demonstrated