Citation

Doughty SS, Anderson CM. Educ. Treat. Child. 2006; 29(1): 23-50.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, West Virginia University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

Two children with developmental delays and a history of problem behavior participated in this study to examine the efficacy of combining two treatments demonstrated to reduce problem behavior: noncontingent reinforcement and functional communication training. At issue was whether the noncontingent delivery of an alternative preferred stimulus and reinforcement of mands increased the rate of mands (a term that B.F. Skinner used to describe a verbal operant in which the response is reinforced by a characteristic consequence and is therefore under the functional control of relevant conditions of deprivation or aversive stimulation), and suppressed problem behavior prior to and during the schedule thinning of noncontingent reinforcement. The necessity of extinction to obtain suppression of problem behavior also was examined. For both participants, noncontingent reinforcement using an alternative (or, arbitrary) preferred stimulus increased manding maintained by access to attention and decreased problem behavior. Extinction may be necessary to maintain response suppression during thinning of the noncontingent reinforcement schedule. Preliminary results, as well as the potential impact for practitioners and suggestions for future research are provided.

Language: en