Blanding, K. M., Richards, J., Bradley-Johnson, S., & Johnson, M. J. (1994). The effect of token reinforcement on McCarthy Scale performance for white preschoolers of low and high social position . Journal of Behavioral Education , 4 (1), 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01560507

Journal Article

Blanding, K. M., Richards, J., Bradley-Johnson, S., & Johnson, M. J. (1994). The effect of token reinforcement on McCarthy Scale performance for white preschoolers of low and high social position. Journal of Behavioral Education, 4(1), 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01560507

Tags

Intelligence test; No disability; Preschool; Reinforcement

Summary

Accommodation

A portion of the students were provided token reinforcement for correct answers.

Participants

Study One: Thirty preschoolers served as participants. All students were of white, low-socioeconomic background.
Study Two: Forty-three preschoolers from white background, and varying levels of socio-economic status (SES) participated in the study.

Dependent Variable

The Slosson Intelligence Test was used to estimate the intellectual comparability of the groups. The McCarthy Scales were used as the primary dependent variable. Dependent variables were the same for both studies.

Findings

Tokens contingent on correct responses enhanced performance of low social status, white preschool children. Performance of children with high SES was not found to be as easily influenced by tangible rewards as the performance of children with low SES.