Effects of social proximity on multiple aggressive behaviors.

The team tested how close social contact affects aggression. They sat people side-by-side for long stretches with no praise or treats.

They watched for hitting, yelling, and other angry acts. The goal was to see if the closeness would first spark, then kill, the behavior.

At first, being close made aggression jump. After many minutes of unrewarded together-time, every aggressive act stopped.

The behavior dropped to zero and stayed there for the rest of the session.

Pliskoff et al. (1978) saw the same drop in birds when food stopped coming. Both studies show extinction can cut aggression across species.

Kydd et al. (1982) found that close, eye-contact reprimands calm kids fast. Chen et al. (2001) flip the script: long, quiet closeness without any words works too.

Powis et al. (2014) note that some genetic syndromes carry sky-high aggression rates. The extinction method here gives one low-tech tool for those tough cases.

You can use safe, silent proximity as an extinction procedure. Pair the client with a calm staff member, withhold all social reward, and let the aggression run its course. Document each response; stop the session when rates hit zero. This costs nothing, needs no drugs, and may prevent restraint use.