Development of self-care skills and helping behaviors of adolescents in a group home through correspondence training

Abstract

The present study used a do-report correspondence training procedure to develop self-care skills and helping behaviors among adolescents of a group home. Points were delivered contingent upon true reports about behaviors (self-care skills and helping behaviors) performed earlier. Two multiple-baseline designs (across behaviors and across groups) were employed. The results showed increased levels of self-care skills and helping behaviors (the corresponding nonverbal behaviors) during reinforcement of true reports, relative to baseline conditions. These levels were maintained during the introduction of a follow-up (maintenance) phase, in which subjects were exposed to similar procedures of correspondence training but with no reinforcement contingencies for truthful reports about prior behaviors.