THE USE OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT IN THE TREATMENT OF ESCAPE-MAINTAINED DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR

We identified 3 clients whose destructive behavior was sensitive to ne gative reinforcement (break from tasks) and positive reinforcement (ac cess to tangible items, attention, or both). In an instructional conte xt, we then evaluated the effects of reinforcing compliance with one, two, or all of these consequences (a break, tangible it ems, attention ) when destructive behavior produced a break and when it did not (esca pe extinction). For 2 clients, destructive behavior decreased and comp liance increased when compliance produced access to tangible items, ev en though destructive behavior resulted in a break. For 1 client, exti nction was necessary to reduce destructive behavior and to increase co mpliance. Subsequently, when the schedule of reinforcement for complia nce was faded for all clients, destructive behavior was lower and fadi ng proceeded more rapidly when compliance produced multiple functional reinforcers (i.e., a break plus tangible items or attention) and dest ructive behavior was on extinction. The results are discussed in terms of the effects of relative reinforcement value and extinction on conc urrent operants.