The effects of matched stimulation and response interruption and redirection on vocal stereotypy

Thesis (M.A., Psychology (Applied Behavior Analysis)) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2010.Stereotypy has been classified as repetitive behavior that does not serve an apparent function. Two procedures that have been found to effectively reduce rates of vocal stereotypy are Response Interruption and Redirection (e.g., Ahearn, Clark, & MacDonald, 2007) and Matched Stimulation (e.g., Rapp, 2007). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of Response Interruption & Redirection (RIRD) alone, Matched Stimulation (MS) alone, and MS implemented in conjunction with RIRD. Data were analyzed using a multitreatment design. Results for participant one suggested suppressive effects on vocal stereotypy were equivalent for all treatment conditions. For participant two, a slightly greater suppression of stereotypy was associated with MS + RIRD. Both participants exhibited greater frequency of appropriate vocalizations with conditions containing an RIRD component. Session length and number of implementations was also found to be lower during MS + RIRD for one participant. The data suggested that the addition of matched stimulation may facilitate the implementation of RIRD in applied settings; however replication with additional participants is needed.Psychology (Applied Behavior Analysis