An evaluation of the interaction between quality of attention and negative reinforcement with children who display escape-maintained problem behavior.
The choice-making behavior of 2 typically developing children who engaged in problem behavior maintained by negative reinforcement was evaluated within a concurrent-operants assessment that varied the quality of attention across free-play and demand conditions. The results demonstrated that it was possible to bias responding towards academic demands for both participants by providing high-quality attention, despite the continuous availability of negative reinforcement. The current study extended brief clinical methods with typically developing children and demonstrated how different qualities of attention provided across concurrent schedules could bias responding.
Gardner
Andrew W
AW
The University of Iowa, USA. Andrew.Gardner@nau.edu
Wacker
David P
DP
Boelter
Eric W
EW
D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D014741:Video Recording