Promoting Social Play in Small Groups of Retarded Adolescents

Abstract

Three groups (n = 5) of retarded adolescents selected from three male wards in a residential training facility were presented object rewards on fixed interval schedules to maintain 30 minutes of group contact (superordinate goal). Rewards were faded over ten play training sessions during which individual play skills (specific) were trained using teacher and peer models, prompting and, frequent praise. Each group acquired and retained superordinate specific goals when object rewards ceased. Pre- and post-treatment ratings of free play by trained adolescents and matched controls (n = 15) show pro-social increases of free play behavior only for the former. Ratings obtained seven days after training showed rapid decrease from the immediate post-training gains. However, when play groups were reconvened after this last rating session, the adolescents still performed the games to criterion.

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