Reinforcement withdrawal has been shown to be a powerful tool in the analysis and control of various undesirable behaviors. However, attempts to apply this technique to non-institutionalized retardates are notably lacking. In the present study 4 classes of inappropriate behavior were followed by brief withdrawal of reinforcing events (timeout) with a non-institutionalized retarded child. This treatment produced a marked reduction in the frequency of the 4 classes of behavior. Suggestions for future research were discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BaerD. M.Laboratory control of thumbsucking by withdrawal and representation of reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1962, 5, 525–528.
2.
BarrettB. H.Reduction in rate of multiple tics by free operant conditioning methods. In UllmannL. P.KrasnerL. (Eds.), Case studies in behavior modification. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1965. Pp. 255–263.
3.
BlockJ. D.Operant conditioning. In WortisJ. (Ed.), Mental retardation III. New York: Grune & Stratton, 1971. Pp. 128–129.
4.
BostowD. E.BaileyJ. B.Modification of severe disruptive and aggressive behavior using brief timeout and reinforcement procedures. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1969, 2, 31–38.
5.
HamiltonJ.StephensL.AllenP.Controlling aggressive and destructive behavior in severely retarded institutionalized residents. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 1967, 7, 825–856.
6.
HarterS.ZiglerE.Effectiveness of adult and peer reinforcement on the performance of institutionalized and non-institutionalized retardates. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1968, 73, 144–149.
7.
KaufmanM. E.PetersonW. M.Acquisition of a conditioned discrimination learning set by normal and mentally retarded children. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 1965, 69, 865–870.
8.
KnightM. F.McKenzieH. S.Elimination of bedtime thumbsucking in home settings through contingent reading. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1974, 7, 33–38.
9.
LongJ. D.WilliamsR. L.The comparative effectiveness of group and individually contingent free time with inner-city junior high school students. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1973, 6, 465–474.
10.
NoonanJ. R.BarryJ. R.Performance of retarded children. Science, 1967, 156, 171.
11.
O'BrienF.AzrinN.Developing proper mealtime behaviors of the institutionalized retarded. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1972, 5, 389–401.
12.
ReeseE. P.The analysis of human operant behavior. Dubuque, Ia.: Wm. C. Brown, 1966.
13.
WahlerR. G.Oppositional children: A quest for parental reinforcement control. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1969, 2, 159–170.
14.
WolfM. M.RisleyT. R.MeesH.Application of operant conditioning procedures to the behavior problems of an autistic child. Behavior Research and Therapy, 1964, 1, 305–332.
