REINFORCEMENT THERAPY IN THE CLASSROOM 1

Teachers were trained in the systematic use of attention and praise to reduce the disruptive classroom behavior of four first‐grade children. Observation measures showed a significant improvement from baseline to treatment for these children and no significant changes for same‐class controls. While the amount of teacher attention to target children remained the same from baseline to treatment, the proportion of attention to task‐relevant behavior of these children increased. Psychological tests revealed no adverse changes after treatment.