title: The effects of response cost in the treatment of aberrant behavior maintained by negative reinforcement.
abstract: Positive reinforcement contingencies can sometimes be used to decrease problem behavior maintained by negative reinforcement (e.g., escape). In the current study, we evaluated the extent to which response cost (i.e., contingent removal of a preferred stimulus) would compete with the negative reinforcer maintaining destructive behavior. The response cost contingency reduced destructive behavior by 87% from baseline levels even though the negative reinforcement contingency (i.e., escape) remained in place.
authors.affiliation: The Kennedy Krieger and Marcus Institutes and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Keeney
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Adelinis
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wilder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome