Product Feedback.

This paper illustrates the interplay between laboratory research on feedback and development of instructional materials. Exploratory work suggests that the products of behavior or "product feedback," are functionally different from differential reinforcement. Product feedback provides the means by which self-correction can take place; differential reinforcement does not. This basic research leads to a particular analysis of feedback in two types of curricula: A writing curriculum that makes use of pencil and paper materials and a spelling curriculum that is part of a larger system of computer assisted instruction. The basic research and instructional implications suggest a need for a program of research on feedback and underscores the importance of discrimination training as a precursor to any skilled performance. (Author)