Abstract
A three-part controlled case study is presented in which severe and longstanding self-injurious behavior exhibited by a 9-year-old-boy was treated successfully with differential reinforcement of other behavior. In Phase 1, an experimental analysis demonstrated that the boy's scratching was not maintained by environmental contingencies; instead, it appeared that the self-injurious behavior was a stereotypic (automatically reinforced) response. In Phase 2, the effects of an escalating differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior schedule mediated through token reinforcement (pennies) were evaluated in a reversal design. Results showed that differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior eliminated self-injurious behavior very quickly and for periods of time as long as 30 min. A noteworthy side effect observed during Phase 2 was the occurrence of crying behavior following the nondelivery of reinforcement. In Phase 3, the token program was gradually extended in 30-min increments throughout the day. Additionally, results of a brief multielement manipulation showed that the effects of token reinforcement were superior to those of a more easily administered differential reinforcement of other behavior based on social reinforcement, which differed little from baseline.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Allen K. E., Harris F. R. Elimination of a child's excessive scratching by training the mother in reinforcement procedures. Behav Res Ther. 1966 May;4(2):79–84. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(66)90046-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Balsam P. D., Bondy A. S. The negative side effects of reward. J Appl Behav Anal. 1983 Fall;16(3):283–296. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1983.16-283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dorsey M. F., Iwata B. A., Reid D. H., Davis P. A. Protective equipment: continuous and contingent application in the treatment of self-injurious behavior. J Appl Behav Anal. 1982 Summer;15(2):217–230. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1982.15-217. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Favell J. E., McGimsey J. F., Jones M. L. The use of physical restraint in the treatment of self-injury and as positive reinforcement. J Appl Behav Anal. 1978 Summer;11(2):225–241. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1978.11-225. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Frankel F., Moss D., Schofield S., Simmons J. Q. Case study: use of differential reinforcement to suppress self-injurious and aggressive behavior. Psychol Rep. 1976 Dec;39(3):843–849. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1976.39.3.843. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Harris S. L., Wolchik S. A. Suppression of self-stimulation: three alternative strategies. J Appl Behav Anal. 1979 Summer;12(2):185–198. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1979.12-185. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Powell J., Martindale A., Kulp S. An evaluation of time-sample measures of behavior. J Appl Behav Anal. 1975 Winter;8(4):463–469. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1975.8-463. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Steege M. W., Wacker D. P., Berg W. K., Cigrand K. K., Cooper L. J. The use of behavioral assessment to prescribe and evaluate treatments for severely handicapped children. J Appl Behav Anal. 1989 Spring;22(1):23–33. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1989.22-23. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]