Compliance training and behavioral covariation in the treatment of multiple behavior problems.

Three children with mixed behavior problems got a simple compliance-training package. Adults gave clear instructions, praised every follow-through, and gently guided the child if he stalled. The team tracked both compliance and any untreated problem behavior like crying or hitting.

They used a multiple-baseline design across kids. Training started at different times for each child so the researchers could see if changes were really caused by the training.

Compliance rose quickly for all three children. At the same time, crying, aggression, and even self-injury dropped without anyone telling the kids to stop those behaviors. The study showed that strengthening one good response can weaken other bad ones for free.

Emmelkamp et al. (1986) ran the perfect follow-up. They turned the covariation into an experiment: when they reinforced compliance, problem behavior fell, and when they reinforced problem behavior, compliance fell. This backs up the 1981 finding with stronger cause-and-effect proof.

Carr et al. (1985) extended the idea to escape-motivated tantrums. They paired demands with fun reinforcers and saw both big tantrum drops and compliance gains, showing the covariation works even when the problem behavior is clearly escape-driven.

Wilder et al. (2020) moved the logic into autism treatment. They added differential reinforcement to three-step guided compliance and got gains when either tactic alone had failed, proving the covariation still holds four decades later.

You can get two for one. When you build a strong compliance repertoire, you often shrink crying, aggression, or SIB without extra plans. Start by reinforcing every follow-through right away. If problem behavior is escape-based, pair the instruction with a powerful reinforcer. Track both compliance and untreated behaviors; you may find your simplest intervention is doing more work than you expected.