Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2000
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Committee Chair
Cheryl B. McNeil.
Committee Co-Chair
Christina Adams
Committee Member
Stanley Cohen
Abstract
Currently, there is some controversy concerning whether praise affects compliance and behavior other than compliance (i.e., general behavior) in children with disruptive behaviors. It is unclear whether it is praise or other aspects of general attention, such as descriptions and enthusiasm, that influences children's behavior. The current study examined the effects of enthusiastic praise, non-enthusiastic praise, and non-enthusiastic description on child compliance (measured by the Compliance Test) and general behavior (measured by the Marble-in-the-Hole Game) in 15 children with disruptive behavior problems and 15 typical children. Results indicated that the participants had significantly higher rates of compliance in the non-enthusiastic description condition than in the enthusiastic praise condition across groups. In addition, participants had significantly higher rates of general behavior in the enthusiastic praise condition than in the non-enthusiastic description condition across groups. Results are discussed with regard to the effectiveness of the different types of attention used in different situations.
Recommended Citation
Filcheck, Holly Ann, "Aspects of attention that affect compliance and general behavior in disruptive and typical children" (2000). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 867.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/867