| Abstract: | In Experiment I the effect of the contingent application of negative attention (a verbal reprimand plus a brief period in which the authority person glares intently at the child) and repeated commands on the noncompliant behavior of children was examined. Thirty-two mother-child pairs served as subjects. The results indicated that negative attention decreased noncompliance whereas repeated commands did not. In Experiment II the effectiveness of negative attention, isolation, ignoring, and a combination of procedures (the alternate use of isolation, ignoring, and negative attention with the same subject) in reducing noncompliance and maintaining it at a low level during a recovery period was examined. Twenty-eight mother-child pairs served as subjects. The results indicated that each of the four disciplinary procedures reduced noncompliance. However, negative attention was associated with less off-task behavior than the isolation and combination procedures when discipline was being imposed and a lower level of noncompliance than ignoring during recovery, whereas the combination condiiton was the only procedure that maintained noncompliance during recovery at the treatment level. |
