Effects of a videotape feedback package on the peer interactions of children with serious behavioral and emotional challenges.
Two-minute self-video review plus praise quickly lowers rough play and lifts friendly moves for kids with big behavior needs.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Five elementary students with serious behavior disorders took part.
Each kid watched short videotapes of their own recess play.
They scored each clip: "Was I being nice?" or "Was I being rough?"
After scoring, the teacher gave praise and small prizes for good peer moves.
The team tracked the kids’ nice and rough behaviors across many days.
What they found
Problem peer moves dropped for every student.
Nice peer moves rose for every student.
Gains showed up right after the first video session and held for weeks.
Kids needed only one or two 10-minute viewings per week to keep the change.
How this fits with other research
Macpherson et al. (2015) took the same idea into kickball with iPads.
They let kids with autism watch a 30-second clip mid-game and saw compliments soar.
The 1992 package works without tablets; Kevin shows tech can speed the cue even more.
Kourassanis-Velasquez et al. (2019) trained peers, not the target kids, using live and video models.
Their autistic students gained joint attention, proving you can push social growth from either side—self-view or peer coaching.
Neef et al. (1986) gave disruptive boys the job of recess monitors.
Negative acts fell, but only while the boys kept the job.
The 1992 video method beats that short-lived fix because reinforcement stayed tied to the child’s own tape, not a temporary role.
Why it matters
You can cut playground fights and raise friendly play with a camcorder and a checklist.
Film two minutes of recess, let the student rate it, hand a sticker for honest good marks, and watch the next recess improve.
No extra staff, no peer training, just quick self-feedback plus praise.
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Join Free →Film today’s recess, show the clip right after lunch, have the student check "nice" or "rough" on a sticky note, and give a token for each "nice" check.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Peer interactions are among the greatest challenges experienced by children who have severe emotional and behavioral problems. This study evaluated an intervention package designed to increase the ratio of these children's desirable to undesirable interactions. The package included three principal components: (a) observation of videotapes following regularly scheduled peer activity sessions; (b) self-evaluation of the children's peer interactions observed on the videotapes; and (c) delayed feedback and reinforcement for desirable peer interactions. Five students from two elementary schools participated. Multiple baseline designs and one reversal were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention package. The results showed that the intervention produced lower levels of undesirable peer interactions and higher ratios of desirable to undesirable interactions for all participants. The results are discussed in regard to their conceptual and applied implications and in terms of specific directions for future research.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1992 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1992.25-355