Modifying Inappropriate Behaviors of Nursery School Children through Token and Social Reinforcement
Jin Sook Kim
Abstract
The effects of token and social reinforcement on inappropriate study behaviors of nursery school children were investigated. The subjects were three nursery school boys, and the target behaviors were : 1) out-of-seat behaviors, 2) bothering other children, and 3) disruptive behaviors. The ABAB(Reversal) design was used in this experiment. It consisted of four periods : baseline, reinforcement I, reversal, and reinforcement II. During the reinforcement period, social reinforcement as well as token reinforcement was applied. In all three subjects, inappropriate study behaviors decreased during the reinforcement periods (I, II), and increased during the reversal period, showing the effects of token and social reinforcement. The subjects showed stability in three post-experimental tests, indicating that modification of inappropriate study behaviors was being maintained.