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Abstract
Dependent group contingencies were used to increase the on-task behavior of general education students in third and fourth grade classrooms. The class-wide intervention allowed students to gain access to preferred items/activities (identified via a stimulus preference assessment) contingent upon being on-task at "unknown" random times during math instruction. A multiple baseline design across classrooms was used to evaluate intervention effects. During baseline, mean levels of on-task behavior were 35% and 50% in the third and fourth grade classes, respectively. These means rose above 80% for both classrooms during the intervention phases. In addition, social validity measures suggested that the procedure was feasible for classroom staff to implement, acceptable to students, and produced few, if any, adverse effects on student social standing. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]