Journal of applied behavior analysis
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The effects of preferred stimulation on the vocal stereotypy of 2 individuals were evaluated in two experiments. The results of Experiment 1 showed that (a) the vocal stereotypy of both participants persisted in the absence of social consequences, (b) 1 participant manipulated toys that did and did not produce auditory stimulation, but only sound-producing toys decreased his vocal stereotypy, and (c) only noncontingent music decreased vocal stereotypy for the other participant, but sterotypy paradoxically increased when toys were presented with music. ⋯ These patterns suggest that auditory stimulation functioned as an abolishing operation for vocal stereotypy and reprimands functioned as an establishing operation for vocal stereotypy. Together, the two experiments provide a method for identifying alternative stimulation that may substitute for automatically reinforced behavior.
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Recent research has shown that behavioral skills training with in situ training is an effective strategy to teach children the safety skills needed if they ever encounter an unattended firearm. The current study evaluated the use of parents as trainers to increase the efficiency of training. The success of parent training on their children's safety skills was evaluated in a multiple baseline across participants design. The results showed that the training was effective for 3 of the 4 children.