The Effect of Reinforcement on Attentiveness: A Comparison of Behaviorally Trained Music Therapists and Other Professionals with Implications for Competency-Based Academic Preparation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to isolate the variables of therapist/teacher approval, disapproval, and mistakes of reinforcement in relation to music and nonmusic subject matter and attentiveness. Behaviorally trained music therapists, choral, instrumental, and general music educators, and behaviorally trained and comparison teachers, all of whom were representative of diverse socioeconomic levels, age, and teaching experience, were observed. Data were collected on rates of approval, disapproval, mistakes of reinforcement, total time spent in reinforcement, and approval ratio (approval portion of total reinforcement effort) concurrent with percentage of off-task for those students/clients referred as having problems. Comparison of these data revealed that behaviorally trained music therapists and behaviorally trained teachers achieve similar high approval ratios and evidence low rates of student/client off-task. Pupils were least off-task in choral and instrumental music groups despite low approval ratios of conductors, suggesting that music performance may be intrinsically reinforcing. Comparison teachers and general music educators were least reinforcing and had the highest rates of pupil off-task. In relation to the above data, a pilot study was conducted across a small population of music therapy majors in an academic program to analyze the process of acquisition of reinforcement skills and subsequent increases in pupil attentiveness. Videotape feedback and self-analysis of each session demonstrated that acquisition of reinforcement skills by student therapists achieved pupil outcomes with TMR students similar to those of normal students taught by behaviorally trained teachers. Implications for the academic preparation of music therapists and music educators appear to exist in the documentation of the value of reinforcement skills in achieving desired student/client outcomes and the effectiveness of videotape and self-analysis feedback in the teaching of reinforcement skills.

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