The efficacy of all-positive management as a function of the prior use of negative consequences.
Begin classroom management with brief negative consequences, then fade them while keeping rewards to hold student gains.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Teachers tried an all-positive token system first. Kids got points for good work and no penalties for goofing off.
When that failed, they added mild negative consequences. They took points away for being off task. Then they slowly removed those penalties while keeping the rewards.
What they found
Pure praise and tokens did not help. Kids stayed off task and their work stayed sloppy.
Only after the teachers briefly used point loss did behavior improve. Once the kids were doing well, the teachers could drop the penalties and keep the gains.
How this fits with other research
Tracey et al. (1974) and Wallander et al. (1983) showed the same pattern. They started with strong consequences, then thinned them out. The gains stuck for years.
Raslear (1975) found that classroom consequences work best when they target a whole cluster of problem behaviors. The current study adds that you can later drop the stick and keep the carrot.
Whalen et al. (1979) took a different road. They cut hyperactive kids’ disruptions by changing the room setup, not the consequences. Both paths work, but the new data say most teachers will still need at least brief penalties at first.
Why it matters
If you walk into a chaotic class, do not rely on praise alone. Start with a clear, mild consequence like losing a token. Once the kids hit 80–90% on-task for several days, fade the penalty and keep the rewards. You will lock in the good behavior without staying the “bad cop” all year.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a small response cost to your token board today, then thin it out once students hit 85% on-task for three straight days.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Previous work suggests that an all-positive approach to child management can be effective. The present investigation extends these findings by examining the efficacy of an enhanced all-positive management system in the absence of a history of negative consequences. The on-task behavior and academic performance of 8 first- through third-grade children with academic and/or behavioral problems were observed in the classroom. Results indicated that, in the absence of a history of negative consequences, enhanced positive consequences were not sufficient to maintain on-task rates or academic accuracy at acceptable levels. The addition of negative consequences resulted in an immediate increase in on-task behavior and academic accuracy; a primarily positive approach appeared to be successful in maintaining these gains following the gradual (as opposed to abrupt) removal of the negative consequences.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1987 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1987.20-265