Relations between traumatic brain injury and the environment: feedback reduces maladaptive behaviour exhibited by three persons with traumatic brain injury

Feedback is a commonly used technique in neurorehabilitation. It functions cu strengthen or weaken select relations between individuals' behaviour and their environment. The study of behaviour-environment relations is a locus of operant psychology, commonly referred to as behaviour analysis. Central to behaviour analysis is die analysis of interrelations among stimuli, beh aviour, and consequences. The focus on behaviour-environment relations may have considerable benefits for designing clinical treatment and accounting for successful and unsuccessful treatments, especially psychological interv entions for maladaptive behaviour. In the present investigation, three pers ons with traumatic brain injuries, diagnosed with depression and presenting mild cognitive impairments, received feedback about their maladaptive beha viour. Weekly feedback resulted in general reductions in the variability an d frequency of maladaptive behaviour. The results support the utility of gi ving equal consideration to relations between persons with traumatic brain inury and their environment, despite existing psychological or cognitive im pairments. Future research on variables that influence the development and maintenance of behaviour-environment relations, and more generally operant behaviour, may provide a unique perspective on the effect of traumatic brai n injury.