ABSTRACT
My aim in this chapter is to illustrate the usefulness of the experimental analysis of behavior for the design of reading instruction. From the perspective of the analysis of behavior, all instruction consists of arranging sequences of contingencies. Each contingency has three parts: (1) Some material is presented to the student; (2) the student interacts with the material; and (3) the interaction has a consequence, frequently a reinforcing consequence. By concentrating on this deceptively simple concept of contingency, I will demonstrate that it has far-reaching implications for contrasting the modi operandi of several approaches to teaching beginning reading.
