We studied how rewarding youth in residential care for publicly reporting positive social behavior influenced the social interactions and acceptance of their most socially isolated peers. Results showed that the intervention resulted in substantial improvements in social interactions by the previously isolated peers. Peer acceptance ratings also improved for 2 of the target youths.
There is a growing body of literature demonstrating the efficacy of PPR in several different settings, including a residential treatment center (Bowers, McGinnis, Ervin & Friman, 1999), a school within a residential treatment center (Ervin, Miller, & Friman, 1996), a public school (Moroz & Jones, 2001), and foster care placement (Van Horn, 2004). Other studies have been conducted that support the efficacy of PPR (Hofstadler, 2007; Morrison & Jones, 2007). Together, these studies have targeted a wide range of youth who were either peer rejected or ignored. Researchers have also assessed the social validity of PPR and found that it is rated by implementers as highly This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
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