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Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior logoLink to Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
. 1962 Oct;5(4):525–528. doi: 10.1901/jeab.1962.5-525

Laboratory control of thumbsucking by withdrawal and re-presentation of reinforcement

Donald M Baer
PMCID: PMC1404213  PMID: 13966054

Abstract

A 5-year-old boy was shown cartoons, and punished for thumbsucking during alternate cartoons by turning off the cartoons for as long as his thumb remained in his mouth. Thumbsucking weakened during such periods. During alternate periods of uninterrupted cartoons, thumbsucking promptly recovered, suggesting a quick discrimination process. Two other 5-year-old boys were shown the same cartoons; withdrawal of the cartoons was made contingent upon thumbsucking for one, and randomly yoked for the other. Then their roles were reversed. Contingent withdrawal and re-presentation of the cartoons controlled thumbsucking rate; yoked withdrawal and re-presentation did not.

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Selected References

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

  1. BAER D. M. Effect of withdrawal of positive reinforcement on an extinguishing response in young children. Child Dev. 1961 Mar;32:67–74. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1961.tb05004.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
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