Severe problem behaviors related to social interaction. 2: A systems analysis.
Kids instantly shape how adults act—attention-seeking ones pull you closer, avoidant ones push you away; break the loop by giving your best adult responses only for calm or compliant moments.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched one child with developmental delay in a lab playroom. Adults gave instructions, praise, or toys. The researchers tracked how the child’s hits, screams, or self-bites changed what the adults did next.
They repeated the set-up many times. The goal was to see if problem behavior controlled adult behavior like a remote control.
What they found
Attention-seeking kids got more teacher contact after they acted out. The adults kept talking, leaning in, and giving eye contact.
Socially avoidant kids got less contact after problem behavior. Adults backed away and gave shorter instructions. The child’s behavior instantly pushed adult behavior in opposite directions.
How this fits with other research
Firth et al. (2001) later saw the same pattern in real group homes. Caregivers most often gave attention right after aggression, backing up the lab finding.
Lejuez et al. (2001) ran a stricter test with typically developing kids. They also found that attention alone could trigger problem behavior, showing the link is not just a developmental-delay issue.
Orsmond et al. (2009) took the idea further. Once they knew adult behavior was child-controlled, they rearranged classroom cues and almost wiped out problem behavior without extra rewards.
Why it matters
Your client may be training you. If you lean in, talk more, or back off when problem behavior starts, you are reinforcing the cycle. Run a quick 5-minute probe: tally how many times you give eye contact, instructions, or space right after the behavior. Then flip the script. Give those same adult responses only when the child is calm or compliant for 3 seconds. Breaking the child-to-adult control loop is often the first, fastest step in a behavior plan.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The effects of problem behavior displayed by two groups of children with developmental disabilities was investigated. One group of children exhibited problem behavior under conditions of low adult attention and was referred to as the attention-seeking or AS behavior profile group. A second group of children exhibited problem behavior under conditions of high adult attention and was referred to as the socially avoidant or SA behavior profile group. A third group of nonproblem children (NP) was examined for comparison purposes. Pairs of children were placed in a teaching situation, and the effects of child problem behavior upon adult instructional behavior were measured. Results indicated that child behavior affected adult behavior and that different child behavior profiles affected adults differentially. Adults responded to the problem behaviors of the AS behavior profile group by increasing attention, providing higher levels of physical contact, and presenting academic tasks that required continuous adult-child interaction. Conversely, the same adults responded to the problem behaviors of the SA behavior profile group by reducing attention, providing lower levels of physical contact, and presenting academic tasks that required little adult-child interaction. The data indicated that these child effects were powerful, immediate, and durable. Theoretical implications concerning reciprocal social influence and the operant theory of child problem behavior are discussed. Applied implications concerning treatment selection and maintenance are also explored.
Behavior modification, 1992 · doi:10.1177/01454455920163003