The Functional Effect of Teacher Positive and Neutral Affect on Task Performance of Students With Significant Disabilities

Abstract

The study uses an alternating treatment design to evaluate the functional effect of teacher's affect on students' task performance. Tradition in special education holds that teachers should engage students using positive and enthusiastic affect for task presentations and praise. To test this assumption, we compared two affective conditions. Three teachers working with a total of 4 elementary-age students with severe disabilities presented discrete trial tasks in neighborhood public school settings. The teachers alternated their affect between a positive affective condition characterized by smiling, enthusiasm, and rising and falling voice inflection and a neutral affect condition characterized by a flat voice tone and inexpressive facial features. Three of the four students responded more accurately to instructional tasks when teachers presented task demands and praise using positive affect. A fourth student, however, performed worse under the positive affect condition. This student had a long history of problem behavior in instructional settings. Implications for assessment practices are discussed.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alberto, A.P. , & Troutman, C.A. (2003). Applied behavior analysis for teachers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Bryan, T. , & Bryan, J. (1991). Positive mood and math performance. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 24(8), 490—494.

Bryan, T. , Mathur, S. , & Sullivan, K. (1996). The impact of positive mood on learning. Learning Disability Quarterly, 19, 153—162.

Bryan, T. , Mathur, S. , Sullivan, K. , & Pukys, K. (1995). The impact of induced positive affect on incarcerated males' learning. Behavioral Disorders, 20(3), 204—211.

Carr, E.G. , McLaughlin, D.M. , Giacobbe-Grieco, T. , & Smith, C.E. (2003). Using mood ratings and mood induction in assessment and intervention for severe problem behavior. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 108(1), 32—55.

Downing, J.E. (1999). Teaching Communication Skills to Students with Severe Disabilities. Baltimore: Brookes.

Ekman, P. (1993). Facial expression and emotion. The American Psychologist, 48(4), 384—392.

Favell, J.E. , Realon, R.E. , & Sutton, K.A. (1996). Measuring and increasing the happiness of people with profound mental retardation and physical handicaps. Behavioral Interventions, 11(1), 47—58.

Forgas, J.P. , Burnham, D.K. , & Trimboli, C. (1988). Mood, memory, and social judgments in children . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 697—703.

10.

Green, C.W. , Gardner, S.M. , & Reid, D.H. (1997). Increasing indices of happiness among people with profound multiple disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 30(2), 217—228.

11.

Green, C.W. , & Reid, D.H. (1996). Defining, validating, and increasing indices of happiness among people with profound multiple disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 29(1), 67—78.

12.

Green, C.W. , & Reid, D.H. (1999). A behavior approach to identifying sources of happiness and unhappiness among individuals with profound multiple disabilities . Behavior Modification, 33(2), 280—293.

13.

Hersen, M. , & Barlow, D.H. (1976). Single case experimental designs: Strategies for studying behavior change. New York: Pergamon Press.

14.

Ivancic, M.T. , Barrett, G.T. , Simonow, A. , & Kimberly, A. (1997). A replication to increase happiness indices among some people with profound multiple disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 18(2), 79—89.

15.

Lee, Y. , Sugai, G. , & Horner, R.H. (1999). Using an instructional intervention to reduce problem and off-task behaviors. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 1(4), 195—204.

16.

Logan, K.R. , Jacobs, H.A. , Gast, L.D. , Murray, A.S. , Daino, K. , & Skala, C. (1998). The impact of typical peers on the perceived happiness of students with profound multiple disabilities. The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 23(4), 309—318.

17.

Masters, J.C. , Barden, C. , & Ford, M.E. (1979). Affective states, expressive behavior, and learning in children. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 37(3), 380—390.

18.

Potts, R. , Morse, M. , Felleman, E. , & Masters, J.C. (1986). Children's emotions and memory for affective narrative content. Motivation and Emotion, 10, 39—57.

19.

Snell, M.E. , & Brown, F. (2000). Instruction of students with severe disabilities . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

20.

Westling, D.L. , & Fox, L. (2004). Teaching students with severe disabilities. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

21.

Yasutake, D. , & Bryan, T. (1995). The influence of induced positive affect on middle school children with and without learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 10(1), 38—45.