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HABIT REVERSAL AND DIFFERENTIAL REINFORCEMENT OF OTHER BEHAVIOUR IN THE TREATMENT OF THUMB‐SUCKING: AN ANALYSIS OF GENERALIZATION AND SIDE‐EFFECTS
Author(s) -
Christensen Alison P.,
Sanders Matthew R.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1987.tb00211.x
Subject(s) - psychology , reinforcement , generalization , differential reinforcement , developmental psychology , habit , thumb , cognitive psychology , psychotherapist , social psychology , medicine , surgery , mathematical analysis , mathematics
This study evaluated the generalization, maintenance, and negative side‐effects of Habit Reversal (HR) and Differential Reinforcement of Other Behaviour (DRO) in the elimination of thumb‐suking. Thirty children who sucking their thumbs or fingers excessively were randomly assigned to a HR, DRO or wait‐list control group. Observation data were collected in three observation settings. Both procedures effectively reduced thumb‐sucking in both a training setting and in two generalization settings, and initial generalization effects maintained over time. However, both procedures resulted in some temporary increases in opppsitional behaviour and produced low elimination rates. Differences between HR and DRO were not statistically significant; however parents evaluated HR somewhat more favourably than DRO.