Effects of the good behavior game across classroom contexts

Pennington et al. (2017) ran the Good Behavior Game in one elementary classroom. They watched kids during the game period and again later in the day.

The team used a multiple-baseline design across two class activities. They wanted to know if better behavior during the game would carry over to the next lesson.

Kids behaved better only while the game was on. When the teacher moved to the next subject without the game, behavior returned to baseline.

No free carryover. To keep the gains, the teacher had to play the game in every activity.

Aggarwal et al. (2026) saw the same pattern during extinction in a clinic. When the task changed, challenging behavior came back. Both studies show: new context, old behavior.

Weiss et al. (2001) tested three rooms for adults with profound ID. Outdoor play cut stereotypy the most, but the benefit stayed in that room. Again, effects were glued to the setting.

Quilitch (1975) looked like a contradiction: giving one child candy helped the whole preschool class sit. The difference is scope. R rewarded sitting no matter the lesson, so the peer boost traveled. Pennington tied rewards to one period, so the boost stayed put.

If you want calm across the day, run the Good Behavior Game in each block—math, reading, lunch line. Don’t hope for spillover; plan for it. Post the rules, pick teams, and award points every time the behavior matters.