ABSTRACT
Within the past 15 years a large number of behavior modification studies have focused on the effects of adult attention on the behavior of children. Experimental analyses have been conducted in a variety of environmental settings with a large number of target behaviors. Most studies have dealt with behavior problems manifested by individual children, although some later research has analyzed the effects of teacher attention on the behavior of entire classrooms. Briefly, the differential attention technique usually involves the application of adult attention following the occurrence of a desired behavior and the removal of the adult’s attention after an undesired behavior. The assumption implied in this usage is that adult attention functions as a positive reinforcer for most children and that inappropriate behavior may inadvertently be maintained through the contingent application of adult attention.
