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Comparative effects of a time-out contingency when combined with alternate methods of reinforcement

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Abstract

In the present single-case study, the aggressive behaviors of a 10-year-old boy were treated with a response-contingent, exclusionary time-out procedure in two special education settings. The effects of intervention when combined with two methods of reinforcement were compared: (1) a DRO procedure that reinforced the absence of aggression, and (2) a general classroom token economy for task completion. The time-out procedure produced dramatic reductions in responding and was equally efficacious with either method of reinforcement. Treatment effects were maintained at 4- and 8-month follow-up assessments; clinical implications are discussed.

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Luiselli, J.K. Comparative effects of a time-out contingency when combined with alternate methods of reinforcement. Journal of the Multihandicapped Person 1, 121–127 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01098252

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