| Abstract: | The use of contingent ignoring to help reduce problems in the classroom has been advocated by behavioral psychologists, but in practice, teachers have found this procedure often is not successful. In fact, sometimes well-intentioned misuse of the ignoring technique exacerbates inappropriate behavior. This paper documents the difficulties found in using an ignoring procedure in the classroom. The potential mistakes (including not specifying target behavior; not taking a baseline; inadvertently, intermittently reinforcing the inappropriate behavior; reinforcing response bursts; reinforcing spontaneous recovery; and not reinforcing an appropriate alternative behavior) are described. For each potential problem, a remedy is prescribed. It is hoped that this paper will help bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners. |
