Three approaches to facilitating verbal and physical sharing and of the generalizability and durability of the behaviors that were trained were investigated. During a free play period, groups of preschool children were taught to share verbally, to share physically, or to share verbally and physically; another group was not trained. Immediately following free play, the children were observed in a different setting. Follow‐up was conducted 4 weeks after training ended. Physical sharing that was durable and generalizable resulted only when children were taught to share verbally. Increases in physical sharing produced by training children to share only physically were not durable and did not generalize. Training both verbal and physical sharing produced results with a magnitude slightly greater than teaching just verbal sharing. Despite a lack of special programming, some of the treatment effects generalized to another setting and were maintained during the Follow‐up. There was response generalization of the effects of training verbal sharing to physical sharing but not vice versa. Problems with the concept of response class, a methodological suggestion for studying response generalization, and possibilities concerning why generalization and maintenance occurred without specific programming are discussed.

A kindergarten class of five hearing-impaired children initiated and reciprocated sharing responses through the use of positive practice. Positive practice was conducted by a teacher in the regular classroom during a free-play period in which toys were available. Students who were not sharing practiced asking other students to share, and the rquested student was required to acquiesce in the sharing. Failure to acquiesce led to the positive practice of that correct role. A design which utilized individual probes interspersed among treatment sessions was employed. Positive practice resulted in more than a threefold increase in physical sharing of toys. All five children increased their physical sharing. Verbal sharing was unaffected by the procedure. Fifteen weeks after termination of the experiment, physical sharing still occurred approximately three times more often than during the initial baseline. Sharing generalized to a new teacher, a larger class with untrained students, and new toys. The results suggest that a teacher can systematically facilitate physical sharing among young children in the classroom by the use of positive practice.

Some practical advice is presented from two psychologists who have supervised practica and solved some of the problems.

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