Contingent observation: an effective and acceptable procedure for reducing disruptive behavior of young children in a group setting.
Having a disruptive toddler briefly sit and watch peers play appropriately cuts disruptions better than simple redirection.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The researchers tested a simple timeout twist called “contingent observation.” When a toddler disrupted group play, the teacher moved the child to a chair at the edge. The child watched peers play appropriately for about one minute, then rejoined.
They compared this to the usual redirect-and-distract method. The study took place in a preschool classroom with neurotypical children. Staff and parents also rated how fair and acceptable each method felt.
What they found
Disruption dropped sharply when the sit-and-watch rule was in effect. Redirect-and-distract kept disruption higher. Parents and staff said the new procedure was acceptable and easy to use.
How this fits with other research
Bushell et al. (1968) already showed that group token systems work in preschool. Downing et al. (1976) adds a simpler tool: no tokens, just brief observation.
Harrison et al. (1975) compared contingent reinforcement to non-contingent reinforcement. Both studies agree that contingent consequences beat non-contingent ones. The 1975 paper used DRO; the 1976 paper used extinction by observation.
Finney et al. (1995) later used group contingencies to increase social play in children with autism. Together these papers show group-oriented procedures work across goals and diagnoses.
Why it matters
You can cut toddler disruptions without tokens or loss of recess. Place a chair at the edge of the play area. When disruption occurs, have the child sit and watch peers follow rules for one minute. Release when the child is calm. The procedure is free, fast, and parent-approved. Try it during circle time or free play next week.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Since a major task of childhood is learning to get along in a group without disrupting other children's activities, caregivers need explicit guidelines for gentle but effective procedures for dealing with disruptive behaviors in child-care settings. In a day-care center for normal 1- and 2-yr.-old children, an effort was made to develop a procedure that appeared sufficiently humane and educational to be acceptable to parents and day-care workers, and yet effective in reducing disruptive play behaviors. Caregivers used the occasion of disruptive behavior to instruct the child in appropriate alternatives, then had the child sit on the periphery and observe the appropriate social behavior of the other children "sit and watch", for a brief period before inviting him or her to rejoin the play activities. The effectiveness of this procedure was compared with a method commonly recommended for the use with young children: instructing the child, then distracting or redirecting the child to an alternative toy or activity. Contingent observation, combining instruction with a brief timeout (from being a participant in an activity to becoming an observer of the activity), proved considerably more effective in maintaining low levels of disruptions and was considered by caregivers and parents to be an appropriate and socially acceptable method of dealing with young children's disruptive behaviors. Therefore, contingent observation can be recommended for general use in day-care programs for young children.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1976 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1976.9-55