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An evaluation and comparison of time-out procedures with and without release contingencies

Jeanne M Donaldson1, Timothy R Vollmer

  • 1University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA. vollmera@ufl.edu

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|January 6, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Both fixed-duration and release contingency time-out effectively reduced problem behavior in young children. Problem behaviors within time-out did not predict behaviors outside time-out for either procedure.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • Applied Behavior Analysis

Background:

  • Time-out is a common behavioral intervention.
  • A release contingency is often recommended for time-out procedures.
  • This involves delaying the end of time-out until a specific period of no problem behavior occurs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the effectiveness of fixed-duration time-out versus release contingency time-out.
  • To examine the impact of these procedures on problem behavior in young children.

Main Methods:

  • A reversal and multielement design was employed.
  • Four children aged 3-4 years participated.
  • Both fixed-duration and release contingency time-out procedures were implemented.

Main Results:

  • Both time-out procedures effectively reduced problem behavior outside of time-out.
  • Problem behavior occurred during time-out in both conditions.
  • Problem behavior during time-out was not a predictor of problem behavior outside of time-out.

Conclusions:

  • Both fixed-duration and release contingency time-out are effective in reducing problem behavior.
  • The presence of problem behavior during time-out does not necessarily predict future problem behavior.
  • Clinical recommendations for time-out procedures may need further refinement.

Keywords:
preschoolproblem behaviorrelease contingenciestime-out

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