Positive Verbal Reinforcement Research Articles

PUPILS PERCEPTION OF THE EFFECTS OF REINFORCEMENT AND RETENTION ON PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS

This study examined pupils’ perception of the effects of reinforcement and retention on p u p i l s’ performance in Mathematics. The design was a descriptive survey, and a structured questionnaire was used to collect the quantitative data. The respondents consist of 120 randomly selected pupils from 10 primary schools. It employed a 23-item questionnaire tagged Pupils’ perception of the effects of re i n f o rc e m e n t and retention o n p e r f o r m a n c e in Mathematics which comprised o f t h re e sections A, B and C. Section A consists of two items on school name and gender, B contains 10 items on reinforcement while C consists of 10 items on retention in mathematics. Findings revealed that pupils perceived teachers’ use of reinforcement and retention as having a significant effect on academic performance in Mathematics. It implied that positive reinforcement and retention motivate pupils to retain information and apply what was taught in class to their daily activities for longer periods. It further revealed no difference in perception due to gender in the effect of reinforcement and retention on performance in mathematics. It was recommended that school administrators should encourage teachers to acquaint themselves with positive verbal reinforcement techniques (general, ability & effort praises) which lead to learners’ maintenance of repetition as a desired academic behaviour hence improving their performance in Mathematics; the Ministry of Education through curriculum developers should come up with the current teachers’ reinforcement policies inclined towards improving learners’ competence and performance in Mathematics.

Effect of Verbal Reinforcement and Verbal Punishment on Performance

The problem of the present study was to investigate whether there is any effect of verbal reinforcement and verbal punishment on performance. The experiment was conducted on some young adult participants. The objective of the present study was to assess whether usual verbal reinforcement influenced performance more than the verbal punishment. It was hypothesized that positive verbal reinforcement would have a significantly greater impact on respondents' performance than positive verbal punishment. We adopted a between group design where 20 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to two conditions, namely positive verbal reinforcement and positive verbal punishment. We provided the interventions through a small, structured interview where the positive verbal reinforcement group were handled warmly but the other group were not. Then we asked them to complete two specially designed monotonous tasks and measured their duration of engagement in the tasks as a measure of performance. The mean durations of engagement for the positive verbal reinforcement and positive verbal punishment groups were 1555.90 seconds and 675.90 seconds, respectively, which differed significantly at the .006 level with a t-value of 3.11 (df=18). And thus, we concluded that positive verbal reinforcement is more powerful to enhance performance than the positive verbal punishment. Bioresearch Commu. 10(2): 1609-1611, 2024 (July)

Perception of Behaviour Management Techniques for Paediatric Patients among Dental Officers

Introduction: Dental anxiety can be effectively managed by applying pharmacological and non-pharmacological behavioural management therapy approaches (BMT). This study investigated the dental officers’ perception of behaviour management techniques practiced in managing paediatric dental patients in primary dental clinics. Materials and methods: A quantitative study using structured online English questionnaires among dental officers serving in primary dental care services under the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH Malaysia) in Sabah. The acceptability of applied behaviour management techniques was measured using Likert scale from 0 to 10. Data was analysed using SPSS version 29 and descriptive data was presented. Results: Seventy-four dental officers involved in this study (Male= 14, Female= 60). Positive verbal reinforcement, tell-show-do, and offering an exact explanation of what the findings indicate are the most widely accepted behaviour management strategies (BMT), with mean scores of 9.5, 9.1, and 8.7, respectively. The least accepted BMT among dental officers in Sabah are immobilisation with a papoose board, preventing the child from speaking during treatment, and hand over mouth (HOM), with mean scores of 4.6, 3.6, and 3.2, respectively. Conclusion: The study concludes that the most recognized BMT is positive reinforcement technique regardless of age, experience and gender. This finding provides information in the development of modules for continuous professional development training among dental officers in the Ministry of Health Malaysia.

Positive Verbal Reinforcement In Mathematics Education

Positive Verbal Reinforcement In Mathematics Education

Implementation of Reinforcement Skill in Teaching English in The Pandemic Situation

This study aimed to identify the types of reinforcement skills and investigate the implementation of reinforcement skills used during the online learning process at SMP Laboratorium Undiksha Singaraja. This study used a qualitative descriptive method as the research design. This study also used an English teacher as the research subject. In collecting data, this study used three methods, namely; observation, interview, and questionnaires. This research was conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the data obtained, this study found the results of the type of reinforcement and the implementation used by teachers during online learning. There are four types of reinforcement used by the teachers, such as; (1) positive verbal reinforcement in the form of praise and partial reinforcement, (2) positive non-verbal reinforcement in the form of gestures, (3) negative verbal reinforcement in the form of enforceable statements, questions, calling out the students' names, and (4) negative non-verbal reinforcement in the form of facial expressions and record the students' misbehavior. In addition, the reinforcement implementation was relevant to the theories suggested by experts by following the five principles in giving reinforcement. Further study is needed to get a deeper understanding toward the implementation of reinforcement in EFL classroom.

THE IDENTIFICATION OF REINFORCEMENT USED BY ENGLISH TEACHER FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD)

Students who has special needs, need to be taught with special education. The fact is students with special education cannot put in the class with students in general school especially in the learning activity. One of the students with SEN that needs more attention during the classroom activity is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this case, using kinds of reinforcements as a strategy to manage student’s behavior and also catch student’s attention during the learning process is needed. Therefore, this study aims to identify types of reinforcement usually used by the English teacher at SLB Negeri 1 Denpasar, in order to reveal what kind of reinforcement that usually used by the English Teacher for students with ASD and how the implementation of the reinforcement used. This research utilized a qualitative approach and descriptive method. The subject of this study was one English teacher at Sekolah Luar Biasa (SLB) Negeri 1 Denpasar. The data collection using reinforcement checklist, interview guide, and audio recording. This research showed, there are 3 types of reinforcement the teacher usually used, such positive verbal reinforcement, positive non-verbal reinforcement, and tangible reinforcement. The Implementation was looking at the students need such: attract students’ interest, appreciation and control students’ behavior.

Implementation of Reinforcement Skill in Teaching English in The Pandemic Situation

This study aimed to identify the types of reinforcement skills and investigate the implementation of reinforcement skills used during the online learning process at SMP Laboratorium Undiksha Singaraja. This study used a qualitative descriptive method as the research design. This study also used an English teacher as the research subject. In collecting data, this study used three methods, namely; observation, interviews, and questionnaires. This research was conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the data obtained, this study found the results of the type of reinforcement and the implementation used by teachers during online learning. There are four types of reinforcement used by the teachers, such as; (1) positive verbal reinforcement in the form of praise and partial reinforcement, (2) positive non-verbal reinforcement in the form of gestures, (3) negative verbal reinforcement in the form of enforceable statements, questions, calling out the students' names, and (4) negative non-verbal reinforcement in the form of facial expressions and record the students' misbehavior. In addition, the reinforcement implementation were in line with theories suggested by experts by following the five principles in giving reinforcement.

Social participation to support good mental health in neurodisability

Young people with neurodisability experience lower levels of mental wellbeing and are at increased risk of mental illness compared with their non-disabled peers. Social participation is recognized as a protective factor against mental illness and a potential pathway to support better mental wellbeing in neurodisability. This co-design study involved young people, parents and clinicians. First, possible interventions were identified through a rapid systematic evidence review. Any study designs were considered, which included people with a neurodisability aged 0-18 years, which evaluated a therapy intervention with social participation and mental health outcomes. Titles and abstracts were screened by two reviewers, from the included studies data were extracted and then presented using written summaries. Second, the summaries were discussed and prioritized in stakeholder groups with young people, parents and clinicians. Groups were audio recorded and framework analysis was used to identify and specify intervention elements and their delivery. The evidence review identified 13,870 records, from which 43 were included. These records were published 1994-2017 and reported studies with 4-249 participants aged 16 months-18 years with a range of neurodisabilities. Five intervention approaches (social skills training, arts, sports, technology and play) were identified from the review. Two themes emerged from the stakeholder groups: intervention in the real world, feeling judged and feeling safe. The groups prioritized an intervention in real-world social leisure contexts (i.e. existing clubs and groups) using nine key intervention elements (e.g. feedback and positive verbal reinforcement) delivered by club leaders trained by healthcare professionals using five intervention procedures (e.g. a manual and video training). This study has identified core elements of social participation interventions that may improve mental health outcomes in young people with neurodisability, which should now be tested.

The Effect of Teachers’ Use of Reinforcement on Learners’ Performance in English Language

The intention of the study was to establish the effect of teachers’ use of reinforcement on learners’ performance in English language. It was done in selected secondary schools in Nakuru town and used descriptive research design. The study was guided by Gardner and Lambert’s Socio-Educational model of second language acquisition. Stratified random sampling was employed in selecting four schools while simple random sampling was used to choose one stream in form two, three and four in each school for observation. It resulted in eight observational schedules. The study sample of 60 students in form 2-4 and 8 teachers of English was purposively selected for interviews. A total number of 353 learners were observed. The study used interviews, audio recording and Structured Observational Schedules for data collection. The data was presented in form of tables, figures and verbatim transcript excerpts used for exemplification and illustration in a qualitative explication. The findings of the study revealed that second language learners’ performance in English is greatly influenced by teachers’ use of reinforcement. Moreover, it proved that teachers of English give unguarded praises, negative statements and criticisms to English second language learners. This study is a vital contribution to the field of Second Language Acquisition theory and practice with regard to offering information and insight into reinforcement, motivation and attitude in practical language acquisition and learning in the classroom situation. These findings are useful in the improvement of second language learners’ performance in English. Teachers of English will also acquaint themselves with effective use of positive verbal reinforcement which works as a motivational force on learners’ acquisition and use of the English language.

Trauma-Informed Behavioral Parenting for Early Intervention

Training in trauma-informed early intervention programs is greatly needed for Part C early intervention providers (EIs). This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and initial outcomes of Trauma-Informed Behavioral Parenting (TIBP; subsequently renamed Smart Start), an early intervention program designed to meet the social–emotional needs of toddlers enrolled in Part C services. This pilot study consisted of training and supervising 5 EIs to implement TIBP with 8 parent–child dyads as part of their Part C services. Preliminary changes in child behavior problems, trauma exposures, parenting stress, and parenting skills were evaluated quantitively. EIs completed treatment integrity measures. Focus groups provided data regarding the feasibility of implementation and caregiver attitudes about TIBP. Significant reductions in child trauma symptoms on both the YCPC-PTSD (S = 11.5, p = 0.0586, rMPRB = 0.64) and YCPC-FI (S = 11.5, p = 0.0586, rMPRB = 0.53) were indicated. No significant changes in externalizing behaviors were observed. Caregivers demonstrated improved use of positive verbal reinforcement and verbal reflections, and reported improvements on parent–child dysfunctional interactions on the PSI-SF (S = 16, p = 0.0117, rMPRB = 0.89). All focus group participants reported benefits from participating in TIBP. EIs demonstrated high adherence to treatment protocol and identified TIBP as a feasible program to implement within Part C services. This study showed promising results as a means to disseminate evidence-based practices into a community-level program to address the social–emotional needs of toddlers. The need for additional, large sample research was highlighted.

The effect of videotaping students' interviews with patients for interview skill education.

BackgroundThe importance of communication between patients and physicians has been proven in many previous studies. The authors analyzed the effect of interview skill education through videotapes which recorded students' interviews with real patients in the outpatient department of family medicine.MethodsThis study was conducted with all students who chose the elective course of family medicine and one randomly selected student every week from an 'infectious internal medicine' class at Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital during the period from December 2008 to March 2011. All students performed a preliminary examination of a new patient at the outpatient department of family medicine. All consultations were videotaped. Feedback to the student was given on the same day by viewing the videotape together. After feedback, all students performed another preliminary examination of one new patient at the department of family medicine the same week. Three family medicine residents scored all videotapes using 10-item interview skill checklists. Many parts of the checklists were modified using the Arizona Clinical Interview Rating Scales.ResultsThirty-three students participated. Of 10 items, nine showed increased scores after feedback. There was a significant change in four items after feedback: 'type of question' (before 2.36 ± 0.60, after 2.73 ± 0.72), 'timeline' (before 2.82 ± 0.68, after 3.18 ± 0.73), 'positive verbal reinforcement' (before 2.24 ± 0.56, after 2.61 ± 0.90), and the total score (before 21.70 ± 2.62, after 23.39 ± 3.13) (P < 0.05).ConclusionGiving feedback to medical school students on medical interview skills using videotapes of students' preliminary consultations with real patients in outpatient settings, was effective in improving the interview areas of 'type of question,' 'timeline,' 'positive verbal reinforcement,' and the total interview scores.

The Effects of Positive Verbal Reinforcement on the Time Spent outside the Classroom for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in a Residential Setting

To more effectively instruct the entire class, teachers of students with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) often choose to send students who display inappropriate behavior out of the room. A multiple baseline across settings was used to evaluate the effects of increasing teacher positive verbal reinforcement on the amount of time 2 students with EBD in a residential setting were spending outside of the classroom for separations or in-school suspension referrals. Results suggest that increasing positive verbal reinforcement decreased the amount of time students spent outside the classroom. Implications and future directions are provided.

Influence of Emotional Words on Human Visual Recognition and Brain Asymmetry

SummaryTo investigate the number of correct responses, the reaction time and the event-related brain potentials, effects of positive and negative verbal reinforcement on the visuo-spatial recognition of simple geometric figures, in condition of backward masking, were studied in healthy subjects and patients with chronic alcoholism. It was found that in performing the mental construction of geometrical figures from pairs of fragments, the number of correct responses by alcoholics, unlike the control group, was greater and the reaction time was lesser in the tests after positive verbal reinforcement than after negative verbal reinforcement. The latter in healthy subjects produce reduction of the latency and increase in the amplitude of N200-P300 potentials, particularly in the right parietal lobe. These changes were not observed in alcoholics. Moreover, negative verbal reinforcement, unlike positive, produced an emotional reaction, which underlay the worsening in recognition by alcoholics. The patients' lesser ability to perform the visuo-spatial tasks could be explained by the general reduction in the event-related potentials and the disappearance of the brain asymmetry. The verbal feedback mechanisms of reinforcement play an important role in the dynamic changes in the hemispheric lateralization of the human brain.

Verbally reinforcing pain reports: an experimental test of the operant model of chronic pain

Effective treatments for chronic pain have been based on the operant model for chronic pain, which holds that pain behaviours can be operantly controlled by various reinforcers. Support for the operant model comes primarily from treatment/outcome studies which report significant reductions in pain behaviours in chronic pain patients, but fail to demonstrate the underlying operant thesis that various reinforcers play a significant role in the establishment and maintenance of pain behaviours. In an experimental test of this hypothesis, the pain reports of forty-six healthy undergraduate students were measured over two sets of fifteen trials, in which the pressure from a blood-pressure cuff applied to their arm either remained stable or decreased over time. Half of the subjects received positive verbal reinforcement from the experimenter after each trial if their report of pain intensity exceeded that of the previous trial. Overall, the mean pain reports of reinforced subjects were significantly greater than those of the non-reinforced subjects both when the intensity of the cuff was stable over trials, and when it decreased, as expected. These results provide support for the operant model of chronic pain. The clinical and theoretical implications of these results for the operant model of chronic pain are discussed, and suggestions for future research are made.

On the motivational effects of positive verbal reinforcement on performance: Toward an inverted-U relationship

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the motivational effects of positive verbal reinforcement on the performance of a qualitative task. Male subjects performed on a task consisting of 24 slides that allowed them to test their decision-making abilities in simulated situations. Subjects performed under one of five noncontingent verbal reinforcement ratios (.00, .25, .50, .75, or 1.00). Subjects' accuracy and reaction times to each of the 24 slide stimuli were recorded and transformed into a total performance index. In line with an inverted-U hypothesis, it was hypothesized that if motivational effects of positive verbal reinforcement exist, they should induce a curvilinear relationship between reinforcement ratio and performance. This hypothesis was supported by the results of a trend analysis that showed that only the quadratic curvilinear term was significant. Inspection of means revealed the presence of an inverted-U curve such that performance gradually increased from ratio 0 and reached a maximum at ratio .50, following which a decrease in performance was obtained for ratios .75 and 1.00. Results support a motivational interpretation of the effects of positive verbal reinforcement on performance. Findings are discussed in light of the interaction between motivational and attentional processes.

The influence on patients' pain intensity ratings of antecedent reinforcement of pain talk or well talk

This study sought to determine whether positive verbal reinforcement for pain talk or well talk could effectively influence chronic pain patients' subsequent ratings of pain intensity. Four female chronic pain inpatients were each exposed over seven consecutive days to two conditions within an alternating treatments design. Inter-rater reliability analysis from the audiotapes on occurences of pain and well talk, verbal reinforcement and appropriate reinforcement of verbal behavior across conditions resulted in agreement values from 91 to 100%. Findings revealed that subjects' pain intensity ratings were consistently and significantly lower after verbally reinforcing well talk compared with verbally reinforcing pain talk.

Utilization of behavioral knowledge from short-term workshops.

Workshops on new methods in the health professions have often been evaluated for participant reaction and understanding of the material. But behavior change on the job following workshops has seldom been assessed. Rehabilitation professionals in seven states were surveyed to determine use of behavior management procedures after three-day training workshops. Those trained within the previous 15 months reported more frequent use of specific procedures than those trained 16 to 30 months before the survey. Positive verbal reinforcement for appropriate behaviors and for behaviors incompatible with inappropriate behaviors were the specific procedures used most frequently by respondents. Group token economies were more frequently used by trainees who worked with homogeneous client populations than those who had clients with different types of disabilities. The need for consultants and additional training were the most frequently cited reasons for not using procedures more frequently.

The use of grafted polynomials and dummy variables in analyzing time series data.

Describes an innovative statistical method for analyzing single-S time series data. The S and data in the paper were selected from a larger study which applied operant conditioning to ambulation problems of severely handicapped patients and used positive verbal reinforcement. The method described is a variation of traditional multiple regression analysis described elsewhere as "grafted polynomials" (Draper & Smith, 1967; Fuller, Note 1). An extensive explanation of the use of dummy variables also is provided.

The undermining and enhancing of intrinsic motivation in preschool children.

A two-phase field experiment was conducted with lower socioeconomic preschool children to test the over justification effect, which proposes that intrinsic motivation will decrease with the addition of contingent, external rewards which alone are sufficient to justify performance. Children showing high intrinsic motivation on the target activity were exposed to one of six conditions. In the three experimental conditions the child received either money, an award, or positive verbal reinforcement for his performance on the target activity. Comparison groups controlled for time or history, the presence of the experimenter, and the personal attention given the child by the experimenter. Money and awards, expected to be perceived as sufficient to justify performance, reduced subsequent intrinsic motivation during a free-play period. Positive verbal reinforcement, predicted to be insufficient to justify performance, resulted in increased intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation in control groups for time and presence of the experimenter did not change. Unexpectedly, a large decline in intrinsic motivation occurred in a control group where the child was ignored. This effect was replicated and discussed in terms of attribution and learning theory.

The effect of verbal reinforcement on career choice realism

Twenty-four male undergraduates viewed 102 slides containing occupational titles and stated whether or not each represented a realistic career choice. Each subject was given three trials, with the experimental subjects receiving positive verbal reinforcement on the second trial for realistic responses. (If the choice was congruous with the individual's occupational type, as determined by the Vocational Preference Inventory, it was scored as realistic.) The results of the research revealed a tendency for all subjects to increase in career choice realism as a function of participation in the experiment, with significantly ( p < .05) more experimental subjects than control subjects demonstrating an operant pattern of responses. Implications of the findings for counselors were discussed.