TRAINING INSTITUTIONAL STAFF TO ALTER DELINQUENTS' CONVERSATION

• NCJ Number: 38310
• Journal: Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry Volume: 7 Dated: (1976) Pages: 243-247
• Author(s): R W SANSON-FISHER; F W SEYMOUR; D M BAER
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: Pergamon Press, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS REPORT DESCRIBES THE EFFECTS OF AN EFFORT BY THE STAFF OF A WESTERN AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTION FOR DELINQUENT GIRLS TO USE PROMPTS AND CERTAIN SOCIAL CONTINGENCIES TO ALTER GIRLS' CONVERSATION ABOUT BEHAVIOR.

Abstract

THE MAJOR FINDINGS WERE THE FOLLOWING: STAFF TRAINING LED TO AN INCREASE IN THE RATE OF GIRLS' PROSOCIAL COMMENTS WHEN STAFF WERE PRESENT, AND SOME DECREASE IN THE RATE OF ANTISOCIAL COMMENTS; CHANGES IN STAFF BEHAVIOR LED TO UNPREDICTABLE CHANGES IN GIRLS' RESPONSES TO PEER'S PROSOCIAL AND ANTISOCIAL COMMENTS; AND CHANGES IN PROSOCIAL COMMENTS WERE NOT MAINTAINED DURING A POSTTRAINING CONDITION, AND DID NOT GENERALIZE TO PERIODS WHEN STAFF WERE USUALLY ABSENT. THIS PATTERN OF OUTCOME SUGGESTS THAT OTHER INTERVENTION PROCEDURES SHOULD BE USED TO ALTER SUCH BEHAVIORS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)