Effects of differential reinforcement and time‐out on the unsafe playground behavior of young children

Linton et al. (2025) watched four preschoolers on a public playground.

The kids kept climbing the slide the wrong way or jumping from high spots.

First the team used DRO: if a child played safely for two minutes, he got praise and a sticker.

When DRO barely helped three kids, the teachers added a brief time-out: 30–60 seconds on a bench.

DRO alone cut unsafe play for only one child.

After the tiny time-out was added, unsafe acts almost vanished for the other three.

Kids still played with friends and still said recess was fun.

Cohen et al. (1990) saw the same pattern with two adults who hit themselves.

DRO plus reprimands did little; adding Movement Suppression Time-out worked.

The two studies line up across ages and settings: when safety is on the line, DRO often needs a quick penalty booster.

Byrne et al. (2000) shows the other side: one adult with brain injury dropped aggression 74% with DRO alone.

The difference is risk level: playground falls and self-injury can bring instant harm, so a faster suppressor helps.

If you run recess or park groups and DRO is barely denting risky climbing, add a 30-second sit-out.

No extra toys or tokens are needed, and the kids still enjoy recess.

Try it next week; one minute on the bench can save a trip to the nurse.