| Abstract: | Using a research design and a procedure based on operant techniques, Wetzel has treated a disturbed 10-yr-old by canceling customary visits with a motherly cook. However, the length of delay between the act and its consequence suggests that the effectiveness of this contingency may have depended upon verbal mediation. Furthermore, familiarization with conditioning principles and awareness of improvement may have led the staff to give less attention than before to each stealing episode. A temporary suppression of this behavior may have altered the general social environment in such a way as to permit S to substitute more effective methods of securing attention and affection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
