AUDITORY REINFORCEMENT IN PROFOUNDLY RETARDED MULTIPLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN
- 1 January 1977
- journal article
- research article
- Vol. 82 (3), 299-304
Abstract
Profoundly retarded multiply handicapped children were placed in a situation where auditory stimulation was made contingent on a visually directed lever-pulling response. In the 1st experiment, a technique for establishing an effective reinforcer from a range of possible reinforcing stimuli was evaluated. In the 2nd experiment, a multiple schedule was used to compare effectiveness of a reinforcer whose efficacy was established in the 1st experiment with a 2nd auditory stimulus. The selection of auditory reinforcers and an evaluation of their relative potency was achieved using these techniques. The feasibility of systematic measurement of operant-conditioning effects with very severely handicapped subjects in a laboratory situation was shown. The information gained concerning the effectiveness of auditory reinforcers has implications for behavior-modification programs with these children.This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Operant Behavior in Vegetative Patients IIThe Psychological Record, 1967
- Operant Behavior in Vegetative PatientsThe Psychological Record, 1966