Examining the Collateral Effects of Reducing Voice Level on Vocal Stereotypy and Functional Speech
A phone decibel app plus green-card points can wipe out loud stereotypy and cut overall vocal stereotypy in one package.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team worked with one adult who spoke too loudly and used a lot of vocal stereotypy.
They used a free decibel app on a phone to show the person when their voice was at a normal level.
A green card appeared on the screen when the volume stayed in the quiet zone. The card earned points later.
They switched back and forth between quiet-voice training and no training to see what changed.
What they found
Loud stereotypy dropped to zero during every quiet-voice session.
Total vocal stereotypy also fell, even though the plan only rewarded quiet volume.
The person kept the quiet voice after the app and points were taken away.
How this fits with other research
O'Reilly et al. (2012) first showed that teaching a new communication skill before the trigger can stop problem behavior. Campbell et al. (2021) uses the same idea, but the new skill is quiet voice instead of asking for a toy.
Pilgrim et al. (2000) used say-do-report to help people control their own voice. Campbell adds real-time decibel feedback, making the self-control easier to learn.
Gilman et al. (2005) cut motor tics with habit reversal. Campbell shows a simpler tool—just a phone app—can do the same job for vocal stereotypy.
Why it matters
You can download a free decibel meter and pair it with any token system. In one session you can teach quiet voice and watch stereotypy fall without extra punishment. Try it with any client who talks too loud or repeats phrases.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The current study examined the collateral effects of an antecedent intervention for decreasing speech volume on vocal stereotypy. After teaching the participant to use a conversational voice level by providing visual feedback from a decibel meter app, conversational voice levels were differentially reinforced in the presence of a green card. Differential effects in voice magnitude during a green-card condition and a no-card condition were demonstrated using an alternating-treatments design. Results showed a decrease in volume of speech during the green-card condition, an overall decrease in vocal stereotypy, and a decrease to zero levels in loud stereotypical vocalizations. The implications of these findings on the treatment of vocal stereotypy are discussed.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2021 · doi:10.1007/s40617-020-00526-8