Adelinis, J. D., & Hagopian, L. P. (1999).
The use of symmetrical "do" and "don't" requests to interrupt ongoing activities.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
32, 519-523.
The results of a modified functional analysis demonstrated that
aggression, displayed by a 27-year-old man, was occasioned by the
use of "don't" requests to interrupt the client's
ongoing and often inappropriate activities (e.g., lying on the
floor, pica, inappropriate touching of others). Subsequent
analyses demonstrated that aggression was lower when ongoing
activities were interrupted with symmetrical "do"
requests than with "don't" requests. An intervention
utilizing symmetrical "do" requests (i.e., prompting an
individual to engage in an incompatible behavior) to interrupt
such activities resulted in reduced levels of aggression.
DESCRIPTORS: aggression, symmetrical do and
don't requests