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Related Experiment Videos

Evaluating self-control and impulsivity in children with severe behavior disorders.

T R Vollmer1, J C Borrero, J S Lalli

  • 1Psychology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611, USA.

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|January 21, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Children with developmental disabilities can exhibit impulsive aggression when immediate rewards are available. Signaling delays in reinforcement improved self-control, demonstrating the impact of timing on behavior.

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Area of Science:

  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Impulsivity and self-control are fundamental concepts in behavioral science, involving choices between immediate and delayed rewards.
  • These concepts are increasingly recognized as relevant to socially significant behaviors, including those in individuals with developmental disabilities.
  • Standard behavioral treatments may be affected by the delay to reinforcement, necessitating further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of reinforcer delay in maintaining impulsive aggression in young children with severe developmental disabilities.
  • To examine the effectiveness of a differential reinforcement procedure in modifying impulsive behavior.
  • To determine if signaling the delay to reinforcement can promote self-control.

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Main Methods:

  • Functional analyses were conducted to identify the reinforcers for aggression (food and television access) in two young boys with severe developmental disabilities.
  • A differential reinforcement procedure was implemented, reinforcing appropriate requests (mands) with larger, delayed reinforcers.
  • Experimental manipulations involved varying the delay to reinforcement and introducing signals (gestures, timers) to indicate the delay.

Main Results:

  • Aggression was maintained as impulsive behavior when it resulted in immediate, smaller reinforcers, despite larger, delayed reinforcers being available for appropriate mands.
  • Both participants demonstrated self-control by choosing the larger, delayed reinforcer when the delay was signaled.
  • The findings highlight the sensitivity of impulsive behavior to the immediacy of reinforcement.

Conclusions:

  • Impulsive aggression can be maintained by immediate, small reinforcers in children with developmental disabilities, even when alternative, more valuable delayed reinforcers are available.
  • Signaling the delay to reinforcement is a viable strategy to promote self-control and reduce impulsive behavior.
  • These findings have implications for designing effective behavioral interventions that account for temporal discounting and reinforcer delay.