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REDUCING CHILD UNCOOPERATIVE BEHAVIOR DURING DENTAL TREATMENT THROUGH MODELING AND REINFORCEMENT
Author(s) -
Stokes Trevor F.,
Kennedy Suzanne H.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1901/jaba.1980.13-41
Subject(s) - reinforcement , psychology , contingency management , autism , applied behavior analysis , psychotherapist , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , social psychology , intervention (counseling) , psychiatry
The uncooperative behavior of grade‐school children during dental treatment was examined. Forty children enrolled in a government dental program were observed during treatment conditions involving instructions concerning the appropriate behavior required by the dental practitioner, description of the objective procedures and subjective experience the child could expect, praise for appropriate behavior, and a colorful stamp for coming to the clinic. Eight of these children whose behavior was still too disruptive for effective dentistry were formally introduced to additional intervention procedures of tangible consequences for cooperative behavior, and observation of peers and by peers during actual dental treatment. Within a multiple baseline design, the intervention conditions were effective in decreasing the children's uncooperative behavior to acceptable levels.