Effects of Social Reinforcement on Isolate Behavior of a Nursery School Child1

A preschool girl who exhibited a low rate of social interaction with her peers was helped to achieve sustained play relations through systematic use of behavior principles. A positive reinforcer, teacher attention, was given consequent upon interaction with another child and withheld consequent upon solitary play or attempted interaction solely with an adult. Interaction with children rose markedly; oneto-one interactions with adults decreased. Reversal of procedures depressed child-child interaction and increased interaction solely with adults; reinstatement of original procedures restored peer interaction. As social behavior with peers became firmly established, reinforcement under both contingencies was presented on an increasingly intermittent schedule. Later checks indicated that adequate social play behavior was maintained through the rest of the school year.