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Contingent exercise: a mild but powerful procedure for suppressing inappropriate verbal and aggressive behavior
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|January 1, 1980
Summary
Contingent exercise, a behavioral intervention, effectively reduced inappropriate behaviors in emotionally disturbed children. This method proved simple to implement and helped children quickly resume learning tasks.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Investigated behavioral interventions for severely emotionally disturbed children in public school settings.
- Utilized single-subject experimental designs (reversal and multiple-baseline) to assess treatment efficacy.
Observation:
- The intervention involved requiring children to perform simple exercise (standing/sitting 5-10 times) following inappropriate verbal or aggressive responses.
- Contingent exercise was easily administered with minimal prompting or guidance.
Findings:
- Contingent exercise significantly decreased inappropriate behaviors, even without a topographical link to the response.
- The procedure facilitated a rapid return to learning tasks after behavioral disruptions.
- Effectiveness was comparable to or surpassed Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO).
Implications:
- Contingent exercise offers a viable, mild alternative to traditional behavioral therapies like timeout or punitive measures.
- The procedure is particularly relevant for settings with restrictions on certain interventions.
- Guidelines are proposed to ensure responsible and ethical application of contingent exercise.