Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis logoLink to Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
. 1998 Spring;31(1):103–116. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1998.31-103

The evaluation and treatment of aggression maintained by attention and automatic reinforcement.

R H Thompson 1, W W Fisher 1, C C Piazza 1, D E Kuhn 1
PMCID: PMC1284102  PMID: 9532754

Abstract

In the current investigation, we used direct and indirect methods to assess and treat several topographies of aggression that were hypothesized to have separate operant functions in a young boy with severe mental ratardation and pervasive developmental disorder. First, a functional analysis of aggression, using the methods described by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994), was conducted and produced inconclusive results. Next, indirect methods were used to develop a second functional analysis, which showed that chin grinding (firmly pressing and grinding his chin against the skin and bones of others) persisted independent of social contingencies and that the other topographies of aggression (e.g., hitting, kicking) were maintained by social positive reinforcement (attention). A treatment designed to decrease aggression maintained by attention--functional communication training with extinction--reduced all forms of aggression except chin grinding. This latter topography of aggression, which we hypothesized was maintained by automatic reinforcement, was reduced when the response--reinforcer relation was interrupted through response blocking and the child was provided with an alternative form of chin stimulation.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (169.7 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bijou S. W., Peterson R. F., Ault M. H. A method to integrate descriptive and experimental field studies at the level of data and empirical concepts. J Appl Behav Anal. 1968 Summer;1(2):175–191. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1968.1-175. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Derby K. M., Wacker D. P., Peck S., Sasso G., DeRaad A., Berg W., Asmus J., Ulrich S. Functional analysis of separate topographies of aberrant behavior. J Appl Behav Anal. 1994 Summer;27(2):267–278. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1994.27-267. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Derby K. M., Wacker D. P., Sasso G., Steege M., Northup J., Cigrand K., Asmus J. Brief functional assessment techniques to evaluate aberrant behavior in an outpatient setting: a summary of 79 cases. J Appl Behav Anal. 1992 Fall;25(3):713–721. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1992.25-713. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Goh H. L., Iwata B. A., Shore B. A., DeLeon I. G., Lerman D. C., Ulrich S. M., Smith R. G. An analysis of the reinforcing properties of hand mouthing. J Appl Behav Anal. 1995 Fall;28(3):269–283. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1995.28-269. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Iwata B. A., Dorsey M. F., Slifer K. J., Bauman K. E., Richman G. S. Toward a functional analysis of self-injury. J Appl Behav Anal. 1994 Summer;27(2):197–209. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1994.27-197. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Iwata B. A., Pace G. M., Dorsey M. F., Zarcone J. R., Vollmer T. R., Smith R. G., Rodgers T. A., Lerman D. C., Shore B. A., Mazalesk J. L. The functions of self-injurious behavior: an experimental-epidemiological analysis. J Appl Behav Anal. 1994 Summer;27(2):215–240. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1994.27-215. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kennedy C. H., Meyer K. A. Sleep deprivation, allergy symptoms, and negatively reinforced problem behavior. J Appl Behav Anal. 1996 Spring;29(1):133–135. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1996.29-133. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kennedy C. H., Souza G. Functional analysis and treatment of eye poking. J Appl Behav Anal. 1995 Spring;28(1):27–37. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1995.28-27. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lalli J. S., Casey S. D. Treatment of multiply controlled problem behavior. J Appl Behav Anal. 1996 Fall;29(3):391–395. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1996.29-391. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. O'Reilly M. F. Functional analysis and treatment of escape-maintained aggression correlated with sleep deprivation. J Appl Behav Anal. 1995 Summer;28(2):225–226. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1995.28-225. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Piazza C. C., Fisher W. W., Hanley G. P., Hilker K., Derby K. M. A preliminary procedure for predicting the positive and negative effects of reinforcement-based procedures. J Appl Behav Anal. 1996 Summer;29(2):137–152. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1996.29-137. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Piazza C. C., Hanley G. P., Fisher W. W. Functional analysis and treatment of cigarette pica. J Appl Behav Anal. 1996 Winter;29(4):437–450. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1996.29-437. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Smith R. G., Iwata B. A., Vollmer T. R., Zarcone J. R. Experimental analysis and treatment of multiply controlled self-injury. J Appl Behav Anal. 1993 Summer;26(2):183–196. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1993.26-183. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Vollmer T. R., Marcus B. A., LeBlanc L. Treatment of self-injury and hand mouthing following inconclusive functional analyses. J Appl Behav Anal. 1994 Summer;27(2):331–344. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1994.27-331. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis are provided here courtesy of Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

RESOURCES