Zanolli, K., & Daggett, J. (1998).
The effects of reinforcement rate on the spontaneous social initiations of socially withdrawn preschoolers.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
31, 117-125.
Social skills priming was used to increase the spontaneous social
initiations of 2 socially withdrawn preschoolers, 1 of whom had
been diagnosed with autism. During priming sessions, the teacher
prompted and reinforced social behaviors (e.g., smiling, verbal
initiations). We varied the rate of reinforcement during priming
sessions and measured the effects of this manipulation on the
rate of spontaneous social initiations during the subsequent
classroom activity. Spontaneous initiations were more frequent
after high rates of reinforcement than after low rates of
reinforcement.
DESCRIPTORS: priming, reinforcement rate, social skills