Acquisition of Living Skills by Chronic Patients as a Function of Type of Reinforcement

Abstract

Current skills-training programs designed to enhance appropriate social behavior of schizophrenics almost exclusively employ positive social reinforcement. However, previous research has demonstrated that schizophrenics are more influenced by mildly aversive consequences than by positive social reinforcement. The present study examined the impact of praise and censure contingencies in a simulated job interview. It was found that observing a model receive censure for inappropriate behavior, and not praise, produced gains in performance for chronic psychiatric inpatients, 22 men and 18 women.