Behavioral covariation in the treatment of delusional verbalization with contingency management.
A 23-year-old female with the dual diagnosis of mild mental retardation and emotional disturbance was referred for treatment because of frequent disruptive outbursts. A brief inpatient behavior analysis suggested that delusional verbalization reliably preceded all other aberrant behaviors. Consequently treatment focused mainly on delusional verbalization; the additional aberrant behaviors were observed for behavioral covariation. The treatment package consisted of verbal instructions, modeling of appropriate eating behaviors, contingent verbal reprimand and a 2-min removal of food, and differential reinforcement of other behaviors. The design was a multiple baseline across settings. Results indicate a marked decrease in delusional verbalization in all settings, and, a correlated decrease for disruption, screaming, and out-of-seat behaviors.
D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003702:Delusions / Q000628:therapy*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014937:Work