title: The effects of contingent and noncontingent attention on self-injury and self-restraint.
abstract: Self-restraint and self-injurious behavior (SIB) are two responses that can sometimes be members of the same functional response class (i.e., maintained by the same contingency). In such cases, a single treatment should be effective for both responses. In this investigation, we examined the effects of providing attention (the presumed reinforcer) both noncontingently and contingent upon either SIB or self-restraint. Results were consistent with our hypothesis that both responses were maintained by attention and suggested that noncontingent reinforcement was a potentially effective treatment.
authors.affiliation: Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Derby
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Piazza
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology; D009042:Motivation; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000523:psychology*; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D014040:Token Economy; D016896:Treatment Outcome