SOCIAL-REINFORCEMENT AND NATURALLY OCCURRING SOCIAL RESPONSES OF SEVERELY AND PROFOUNDLY RETARDED ADOLESCENTS

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 83  (2) , 164-170
Abstract
The deficits in social behavior of retarded persons might be due, in part, to the failure of their environment to maintain that behavior. Using an ABAB [baseline and social reinforcement condition followed by the same] design, severely and profoundly retarded, institutionalized adolescents were systematically ignored and they were given social reinforcement for appropriate social behavior. Social behavior decreased during nonreinforcement conditions and increased during reinforcement conditions. Deficits in social behavior of retarded persons may be due to failure of their environment to maintain such behavior. Implications of these findings for staff behavior and the utility of the present procedure for increasing social behavior of institutionalized retarded persons were discussed.

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