Noncontingent Reinforcement of Disruptive Behaviors in Personal Care Home Settings

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to examine the potential of using noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) to reduce the frequency of disruptive behaviors of three elderly persons in personal care home (PCH) settings. Assessment indicated that participants were engaging in the disruptive behaviors to obtain social attention from PCH staff. Social attention, up to 1 min of staff making eye contact with the participant and directing positive verbal statements toward the participant, was given on a fixed time interval (from morning through early evening) beginning every 20 min and fading to every 30 min. Results indicate that NCR reduced the frequency of the disruptive behaviors.