Effects of Noncontingent Attention on the Behavior of Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders and Staff in Alternative Settings

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often receive low rates of positive attention in the classroom. Further, students with EBD may receive attention from teachers and peers contingent on disruptive behavior, which may reinforce disruption. In our study, we conducted two experiment...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Education & treatment of children 2019-05, Vol.42 (2), p.201-224
Main Authors: Rubow, Christopher C., Noel, Christina R., Wehby, Joseph H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
After School Programs
Attention
Attention (Psychology)
Behavior Disorders
Behavior problems
Behaviour problems
Care and treatment
Classrooms
Education
Emotional Disturbances
EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES
Experiments
Health aspects
Individualized Instruction
Intervention
Nontraditional Education
Outcomes of Treatment
Psychological aspects
Reinforcement
Self Contained Classrooms
Special education
Special Education Teachers
Student Behavior
Student Participation
Students
Students with Disabilities
Teacher-student relations
Teacher-student relationships
Teachers
Undergraduate Students
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Summary:Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often receive low rates of positive attention in the classroom. Further, students with EBD may receive attention from teachers and peers contingent on disruptive behavior, which may reinforce disruption. In our study, we conducted two experiments, involving one special education teacher, one undergraduate staff, and two students with EBD. Both the teacher and the staff were trained to provide noncontingent attention (NCA) to the students with EBD who exhibited disruptive behavior maintained by attention. Noncontingent attention reduced disruptive behavior and increased on-task behavior; additionally, both the teacher and staff member provided more praise than reprimands during all NCA sessions, whereas both predominantly provided reprimands during baseline sessions. Results suggest educators can implement NCA to decrease disruptive behavior, increase student on-task behavior, and improve interactions between educational staff and students with EBD.
ISSN:0748-8491
1934-8924
1934-8924
DOI:10.1353/etc.2019.0010