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Twenty-eight musically-naive subjects from a third-grade classroom and a combined fourth-fifth-grade classroom were randomly assigned to either a no-instruction or an instruction group. All subjects were individually observed for 11 5-minute sessions of free activity time during which they could choose to play the recorder, use self-instructional recorder materials, or watch television. Immediately preceding the first 10 sessions, subjects in the instruction group received a 5-minute recorder lesson with a controlled high rate of teacher verbal approval for target social and music performance behaviors. A posttest recorder performance test was administered to subjects in both groups before the 11th session of free time. Observers counted the number of correct beats subjects played on the recorder while sight reading an untitled melody. There was no difference in the total number of seconds subjects in the no-instruction and instruction groups spent with the recorder during free time. For both groups the amount of time decreased across the 11 sessions indicating a decrease in the reinforcing effect of the music instrument. It was concluded that the initial reinforcement effect of the music instrument was a function of novelty. The fourth-fifth-graders in both groups spent more time with the recorder than.. the third-graders. Subjects in the instructional group performed better on the recorder with 13 of the 14 subjects in the no-instruction group receiving performance scores of zero beats correct. A high positive correlation was found between the amount of time subjects in the instructional group spent with the recorder during free time and their performance scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of institutionalized educable mentally retarded (N = 17), was conducted to determine: (a) whether televised elementary general music lessons would be effective as reinforcement for completion of math problems, and (b) whether a gain in music listening skills would be obtained in addition to a gain in mathematics achievement. Replication of the procedures, methodology, and reversal sequence of a previous study with disadvantaged public school first-graders (N = 83) was used (Madsen, Dorow, Moore, & Womble, 1976). Results of the present study replicated previous findings. Pre-post increases in music listening skills were made in addition to gains in correct mathematical responses. For the institutionalized retarded, as well as the disadvantaged first-graders, one subject matter functioned as reinforcement for a second subject matter with learning resulting in both academic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this experiment was to examine (1) the effect of secondary rein forcers on the performance of imitative behaviors, (2) study the effect of the conditioning process on an approval reinforcement condition and an approval plus music condition, and (3) determine the durability of the newly conditioned re-inforcers across a second baseline period. Three multiply handicapped, non-ambulatory, non-verbal, severely retarded females served as subjects. During the baseline periods one imitative behavior for each subject was trained and tested under two conditions, (1) verbal approval, and (2) verbal approval and ten seconds of music listening. For the treatment period the behavior was trained and tested under three reinforcement conditions, (1) approval, (2) approval and music, and (3) approval, music, and food. Results of the study showed that the approval and the approval plus music paired did not function as re-inforcers during the initial baseline period. Combining approval, music, and food as a reinforcement condition during the treatment period increased the number of test trials completed under the approval and the approval plus music reinforcement conditions. However, more test trials were completed under the approval and music reinforcement condition than under the approval condition during the treatment period. Finally, all test trials were completed under both the approval and the approval plus music reinforcement conditions during the second baseline period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]