Sequencing of parent training procedures. Effects on child noncompliance and treatment acceptability.
Lead with praise, follow with time-out—order keeps parents engaged and child defiance low.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Frame et al. (1984) asked a simple question. Does the order of parent-training steps change results?
They taught moms two tools: give warm attention when kids comply, and use brief time-out when they don’t.
Half the moms learned attention first, then time-out. The other half got the reverse order.
What they found
Attention-first moms saw faster drops in child defiance. Their time-outs worked better later.
Moms who got time-out first liked the whole package less. They said it felt harsh.
Starting nice kept parents happy and made tough steps easier later.
How this fits with other research
Berler et al. (1982) showed mom-led treatment can last up to nine years. L et al. simply refined the teaching order.
Prigge et al. (2013) moved the same idea into classrooms. They gave clear brief instructions before praise and hit 84-96% compliance.
Fullana et al. (2007) seems to disagree. High-probability sequences failed for two of three preschoolers. The kids in that study may have had lower baseline skills, so antecedents alone were not enough.
Taken together, the lesson is: start positive, but stay ready to add consequences if compliance stays low.
Why it matters
You can save hours of parent coaching with one tweak. Teach praise and warm attention first. Let the parent feel success. Then add time-out if needed. Parents stay on board, and child behavior improves faster. Try it next home visit: spend the first session only on catching compliance with labeled praise. Bring up time-out in session two.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The effects of various sequences of time-out and attention on child behavior and on evaluations of acceptability of these techniques were examined using a combined between-and within-subjects design. During treatment periods, mothers administered attention and time-out to their noncompliant children in various sequences (time-out followed by attention or attention followed by time-out), or they administered both attention and time-out concurrently. Results indicated that prior use of differential attention appears to enhance the efficacy of time-out as a response reduction procedure, while prior use of time-out may enable differential attention procedures to maintain reductions in noncompliance effectively. Recommendations are made concerning the optimum use of time-out combined with attention in producing both immediate behavior change and positive treatment evaluations within parent training programs.
Behavior modification, 1984 · doi:10.1177/01454455840084005