An evaluation of strengthening precursors to increase preschooler compliance.

The team worked with preschoolers who ignored adult requests. They did not change rewards or timeouts. Instead they taught four tiny skills first: stop playing, turn to the adult, make eye contact, and say "yes."

Adults used modeling and praise to grow these precursor skills. Once the chain ran smoothly, they gave normal instructions. Consequences stayed the same as before.

Precursor behaviors shot up quickly. Compliance also rose, even though the teachers handed out no extra stickers or treats. The children followed directions more often simply because they now stopped, looked, and agreed first.

Busch et al. (2010) stacked six antecedent tricks and also got gains, but the package was bigger and collapsed when integrity dipped below 20%. The 2012 study shows a leaner set can work and stay strong.

Fullana et al. (2007) looks like a contradiction: high-probability sequences helped only one of three preschoolers; two needed extinction. The difference is method: high-p repeats easy instructions, while precursor training builds a ready-to-listen chain. The 2012 package succeeded without any escape extinction.

Prigge et al. (2013) later moved the same step-by-step idea to elementary students and still hit 84–96% compliance. Together the papers form a timeline: start with precursors in preschool, add full antecedent-plus-consequence packages for older kids if needed.

You can raise compliance without extra candy or tough extinction battles. Spend a few sessions reinforcing stop-orient-eye contact-yes. Once that chain runs at 80%, return to your normal instruction routine. The child now enters every demand ready to comply, and you keep your reinforcer budget unchanged.