THE ENTRY INTO NATURAL COMMUNITIES OF REINFORCEMENT.

THE PRESCHOOL IS A COMMUNITY OF REINFORCEMENT CONTINGENCIES WHICH WILL SHAPE AND MAINTAIN AN INCREASING REPERTOIRE OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND WILL PUT THAT BEHAVIOR UNDER THE CONTROL OF PEERS. THIS STATEMENT WAS DEMONSTRATED IN A PROGRAM WHICH ANALYZED PROBLEM BEHAVIORS OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. IN GENERAL, THE PROGRAM CONSISTED OF TWO PROCESSES--(1) FORMAL, QUANTITATIVE RECORDING OF THE RATE OF BEHAVIOR UNDER STUDY AND ITS CURRENT CONTINGENCIES WITH TEACHER SUPPLIED SOCIAL STIMULATION, AND (2) EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATION OF THOSE CONTINGENCIES. NOT ONLY DID BEHAVIOR CHANGE IN RESPONSE TO REINFORCEMENT, BUT IF THE TEACHER INTRODUCED A SUBJECT TO THE COMMUNITY OF MUTUAL REINFORCEMENT CONTINGENCIES AND LEFT HIM IN IT TOO LONG, THE TEACHER WAS UNABLE TO EXTRACT HIM AGAIN. THIS PROCESS WAS DEFINED AS TRAPPING A CHILD WITHIN THE PEER GROUP. THE ESSENCE OF THE TRAP WAS THAT ONLY A RELATIVELY SIMPLE RESPONSE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER THE TRAP. ONCE ENTERED, THE TRAP CANNOT BE RESISTED IN CREATING GENERAL BEHAVIOR CHANGE. A CHILD BECOMES TRAPPED BY PROMPTING SOCIAL BEHAVIOR WHICH REINFORCES HIM EACH TIME HE DISPLAYS IT, UNTIL HE ENTERS THE SOCIAL TRAP OF THE PEER GROUP. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THERE ARE OTHER COMMUNITIES OF REINFORCEMENT CAUSING BEHAVIOR CHANGES. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (WASHINGTON, D.C., 1967). (CG)