Increasing compliance with medical procedures: application of the high-probability request procedure to a toddler

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Pediatric Medicine

Background:

• Applied behavior analysis investigates methods to increase compliance.
• The high-probability (high-p) request sequence is a behavioral strategy used to increase compliance with subsequent low-probability (low-p) requests.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the efficacy of the high-probability (high-p) request procedure in a clinical setting.
• To assess the impact of high-p requests on a toddler's compliance with medical procedures.

Main Methods:

• A toddler was exposed to a series of high-probability (high-p) requests followed by a low-probability (low-p) request.
• Compliance with medical procedures was measured before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• Compliance with low-probability (low-p) requests increased significantly after the implementation of the high-probability (high-p) request procedure.
• The findings suggest the high-p procedure is effective in enhancing compliance in young children during medical care.

Conclusions:

• The high-probability (high-p) request procedure can be a valuable tool for improving pediatric medical compliance.
• This behavioral strategy shows promise for application across different types of medical tasks and patient populations.