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Analysis of rocking behavior
Monograph of the American Association of Mental Deficiency
|January 1, 1978
Summary
Operant conditioning principles effectively control stereotyped body-rocking in children with intellectual disabilities. Reinforcement schedules and differential reinforcement significantly altered movement rates, confirming operant behavior characteristics.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Stereotyped body-rocking movements are common in individuals with intellectual disabilities.
- The underlying mechanisms and potential for behavioral modification remain areas of interest.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the operant nature of stereotyped body-rocking movements in children with intellectual disabilities.
- To examine the effects of various operant conditioning techniques on the rate and variability of these movements.
Main Methods:
- Six children with intellectual disabilities were assessed individually in a controlled, automated setting.
- Applied operant conditioning techniques including baseline, auditory stimulation, variable-interval (VI), fixed-ratio (FR), differential reinforcement of low rate (DRL), differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO), and noncontingent reinforcement.
Main Results:
- Intense auditory stimulation increased rocking in 4/6 subjects.
- VI and FR schedules produced characteristic response curves.
- DRL schedules decelerated high-rate rocking, while DRO schedules eliminated it.
- Noncontingent reinforcement decreased response rate and increased variability.
Conclusions:
- Body-rocking movements in mentally retarded individuals function as operant behaviors.
- The study supports the established characteristics of reinforcement schedules and operant controls in modulating these movements.