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Timeout as a punishing stimulus in continuous and intermittent schedules
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|October 1, 1973
Summary
Brief isolation periods, known as timeout, effectively controlled disruptive behavior in a preschool child. Intermittent timeout schedules showed that punishing a larger percentage of responses led to a greater decrease in behavior frequency.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Special Education
Background:
- Disruptive behavior in preschool settings poses challenges for educators.
- Effective behavior management strategies are crucial for children with developmental delays.
- Timeout (brief isolation) is a commonly used behavioral intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of timeout as a punishment for disruptive behavior.
- To investigate the impact of different intermittent timeout schedules on behavior control.
- To determine the relationship between the percentage of punished responses and behavior frequency.
Main Methods:
- A preschool child exhibiting disruptive behavior was the subject.
- Timeout was implemented as a punishing stimulus.
- Four different schedules of intermittent timeout were applied.
Main Results:
- Timeout proved to be an effective punishing stimulus.
- A higher percentage of punished responses correlated with a greater reduction in disruptive behavior.
- The relationship between punishment percentage and behavior frequency was non-linear.
Conclusions:
- Intermittent timeout can be as effective as continuous punishment for suppressing behavior.
- Some intermittent schedules may maintain response suppression, especially for low-frequency behaviors.
- Behavioral interventions like timeout require careful consideration of scheduling for optimal effectiveness.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Reinforcement Schedules
Positive reinforcement is a powerful method for teaching new behaviors to both animals and humans. B.F. Skinner demonstrated this with his experiments using rats in a Skinner box. When a rat pressed a lever, it received a food pellet. This immediate reward encouraged the rat to repeat the behavior. This method, where a reward follows every instance of the behavior, is known as continuous reinforcement. It is highly effective for establishing new behaviors quickly.
Once a behavior is learned,...
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01:08Timing and Consequences on Behavior
In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective.
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant factor...
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01:27Punishment
Negative reinforcement and punishment are often confused but serve distinct functions in behavior modification. Reinforcement, whether positive or negative, increases the likelihood of a desired behavior, while punishment decreases it.
Punishment can be positive or negative. Positive punishment involves adding an undesirable stimulus, such as scolding, to decrease a behavior. Negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus, such as taking away a favorite toy, to decrease behavior.
Punishment can be positive or negative. Positive punishment involves adding an undesirable stimulus, such as scolding, to decrease a behavior. Negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus, such as taking away a favorite toy, to decrease behavior.