Nathan A. Call, David P. Wacker, Joel E. Ringdahl, Linda J. Cooper-Brown, & Eric W. Boelter (2004).
An assessment of antecedent events influencing noncompliance in an outpatient clinic.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
37, 145-158.
Several studies have shown that various factors can influence noncompliance,
including task novelty, rate of presentation, and task preference. This
study examined the impact of selected antecedent variables on noncompliance
in an outpatient clinic setting. In two experiments involving 6 typically
developing children, the consequences for noncompliance remained constant.
During Experiment 1, demands that included noncontingent access to adult
attention were contrasted with the same demands that did not include
attention within a multielement design. In Experiment 2, demands were
altered by decreasing the difficulty or amount of work or providing access
to attention. In both experiments, results indicated idiosyncratic responses
to the manipulated variables, with decreases in noncompliance observed
following introduction of one or more antecedent variables with 5 of the
6 participants. These results suggested that noncompliance can be reduced
via changes in antecedent variables, including adding potential positive
reinforcers to the task situation, and that it is possible to probe
variables that alter noncompliance in an outpatient clinic setting.
DESCRIPTORS: brief outpatient assessments, establishing operations, noncompliance