The effects of presession attention on problem behavior maintained by different reinforcers.
The effect of presession attention on the later occurrence of problem behavior was examined with elementary-school children with a range of disabilities. Results of analogue functional analyses suggested an escape function, an attention function, or both. Following the analogue functional analyses, the effects of two antecedent conditions (10-min ignore vs. 10-min attention) were compared on problem behavior in subsequent test conditions. For participants who displayed attention-maintained problem behavior, the test condition involved contingent attention for problem behavior. For participants who displayed escape-maintained problem behavior, the test condition involved contingent escape for problem behavior. Results indicated that participants who displayed attention-maintained problem behavior displayed less problem behavior following presession exposure to attention than when ignored. No such effect was found for presession attention on escape-maintained problem behavior. We discuss matching antecedent-based interventions to the results of functional analysis.
McComas
Jennifer J
JJ
Special Education Program, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA. jmccomas@tc.umn.edu
Thompson
Andrea
A
Johnson
LeAnne
L
D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D004519:Education, Special; D004924:Escape Reaction; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D012056:Reinforcement, Social