Nine children with low levels of peer interaction at school were given repeated exposure to treatment in this study of behavior maintenance. Five of these children had received previous intervention for social withdrawal; theremaining four children had not. Intervention (social skills tutoring and arecess-based point system) was alternated with reversals to determine whether maintenance effects would accumulate with repeated exposure to treatment. Four of the five previously treated subjects were interacting within normative levels of social behavior following three treatment "booster shots." Only one previously untreated subject showed a similar effect. Teacher, parent, and peer ratings showed improvement for both groups. It appears that a treatment "booster shot" strategy might facilitate maintenance of interactive behavior for children previously treated for social withdrawal. These findings are discussed in terms of social entrapment and social validation.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ayllon, T. , & Azrin, N. H.The token economy: A motivational system for therapy and rehabilitation. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968.
2.
Baer, D. M. , Rowbury, T. G., & Goetz, E.Behavioral traps in the preschool: a proposal for research. In A. Pick (Ed.), The Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology (Vol. 10). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1976.
3.
Baer, D. M. , & Wolf, M. M.The entry into natural communities of reinforcement. In R. Ulrich, T. Stachnik, & J. Mabry (Eds.), Control of human behavior. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1970.
4.
Baer, D. M. , Wolf, M. M. & Risley, T. R.Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1968, 1, 91-97.
5.
Becker, W. C. , & Krug, R. S.A circumplex model for social behavior in children. Child Development, 1964, 35, 371-396.
6.
Buell, J. , Stoddard, P., Harris, F. R., & Baer, D. M.Collateral social development accompanying reinforcement of outdoor play in a preschool child. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1968, 1, 167-173.
7.
Burgess, R. , & Nielsen, J.An experimental analysis of some structural determinants of equitable and unequitable exchange relations. American Sociological Review, 1974, 39, 427-443.
8.
Cooke, T. P. , & Apolloni, T.Developing positive social-emotional behaviors: A study of training and generalization effects. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1976, 9, 65-78.
9.
Drabman, R. S. , Spitalnik, R., & O'Leary, K. D.Teaching self-control to disruptive children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1973, 82, 10-16.
10.
Garrett, B. , Hops, H., & Stevens, T.PEERS (Program for Establishing Effective Relationship Skills): Observer training manual. Eugene: Center at Oregon for Research in the Behavioral Education of the Handicapped, University of Oregon, 1978.
11.
Graubard, P. , Rosenberg, H., & Miller, M.Student applications of behavior modification to teachers and environments or ecological approaches to social deviancy. In E. Ramp and B. Hopkins (Eds.), A new directionfor education: Behavior analysis, 1971, (Vol. 1). Lawrence: Support and Development Center for Follow Through, University of Kansas, 1971.
12.
Greenwood, C. R. , Walker, H. M., Todd, N. M., & Hops, H.Selecting a cost-effective screening device for the assessment of preschool social withdrawal. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1979, 12, 639-652.
13.
Hops, H.Social skills training for isolated children. In P. Karoly & J. Steffen (Eds.), Enhancing Children's Competencies. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, forthcoming.
14.
Hops, H. , Fleischman, D., Guild, J., Paine, S. C., Walker, H. M., & Greenwood, C. R.PEERS (Program for Establishing Effective Relationship Skills): Manualfor consultants. Eugene: Center at Oregon for Research in the Behavioral Education of the Handicapped, University of Oregon, 1978.
15.
Hops, H. , Walker, H. M., & Greenwood, C. R.PEERS: A Program for remediating social withdrawal in the school setting: Aspects of a research and development process. In L. Hamerlynck (Ed.), The history andfuture of the developmentally disabled: Programmatic and methodological issues. New York: Brunner/ Mazel, 1979.
16.
Hymel, S. , & Asher, S.Assessment and training of isolated children's social skills. Presented at the Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, New Orleans, March 1977.
17.
Israel, A. C. , & O'Leary, K. D.Developing correspondence between children's words and deeds. Child Development, 1973, 44, 575-581.
18.
Kazdin, A. E.Assessing the clinical or applied importance of behavior change through social validation . Behavior Modification, 1977, 1, 427-452.
19.
Lippitt, R. , & Gold, M.Classroom social structure as a mental health problemJournal of Social Issues, 1959, 15, 40-49.
20.
Mithaug, D. , & Wolfe, M.Employing task arrangements and verbal contingencies to promote verbalizations between retarded children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1976, 9, 301-314.
21.
Mueller, E.The maintenance of verbal exchanges between young children . Child Development, 1972, 43, 930-938.
22.
O'Connor, R. D.Modification of social withdrawal through symbolic modeling . Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1969, 2, 15-22.
23.
O'Connor, R. D.The relative efficacy of modeling, shaping, and the combined procedures for the modification of social withdrawal . Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1972, 79, 327-334.
24.
Patterson, G. R. , McNeal, S., Hawkins, N., & Phelps, R.Reprogramming the social environment. Journal of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, 1967, 8, 181-195.
25.
Patterson, G. R. , & Reid, J. B.Reciprocity and coercion: Two facets of social systems. In C. Neuringer and J. Michael (Eds.), Behavior modification in clinical psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1970.
26.
Risley, T. , & Hart, B.Developing correspondence between the non-verbal and verbal behavior of preschool children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1968, 1, 267-281.
27.
Roff, M.Childhood social interactions and young adult bad conduct . Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1961, 63, 333-337.
28.
Roff, M. , Sells, S. G., & Golden, M. M.Social adjustment andpersonality development in children. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1972.
29.
Rogers-Warren, A. , & Baer, D.Correspondence between saying and doing: Teaching children to share and praise. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1976, 9, 335-354.
30.
Schnelle, J.A brief report on invalidity of parent evaluations of behavior change . Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1974, 7, 341-343.
31.
Seymour, F. , & Stokes, T.Self-recording in training girls to increase work and evoke staff praise in an institution for offenders. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1976,9, 41-54.
32.
Shores, R. E. , & Strain, P. S.Social reciprocity: A review of research and educational implications. Exceptional Children, 1977, 43, 526-530.
33.
Strain, P. S. , Shores, R. E., & Kerr, M. A.An experimental analysis of "spillover" effects on the social interactions of behaviorally handicapped preschool children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1976, 9, 31-40.
34.
Strain, P. , Shores, R., & Timm, M.Effects of peer social initiations on the behavior of withdrawn preschool children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1977, 10, 289-298.
35.
Walker, H. M. , Greenwood, C. R., Hops, H., & Todd, N. M.Differential effects of reinforcing topographic components of social interaction: Analysis and systematic replication. Behavior Modification, 1979, 3, 291-321.
36.
Walker, H. M. , & Hops, H.The use of group and individual reinforcement contingencies in the modification of social withdrawal. In L. A. Hamerlynck, L. C. Handy, and E. J. Mash (Eds.), Behavior change: Methodology, concepts, andpractice. Champaign, IL: Research Press, 1973.
37.
Walker, H. M. , & Hops, H.Use of normative peer data as a standard for evaluating class-room treatment effects. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1976, 9, 159-168.
38.
Wolf, M. M.Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how behavior analysis is findings its heart . Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis11, 203-214.
