The Effects of Self-Recording and Contingent Computer Time on the Off-Task Behavior of an Adolescent with Emotional Disturbances

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of self-recoding with an adolescent male in the psychiatric hospital school setting. The participant was prompted by the first author to self-record while the criterion form performance was set at five or less instances of off-task behavior per session. The participant received minutes of computer time when his frequency of off-task behavior was at or below the specified criterion. Later, prompting was withdrawn, the participant independently self-recorded his off-task behavior and the criterion for contingent computer time was lowered to two or less instances of off-task behavior per session. The outcome indicated that, when self-recording was introduced along with access to computer time, the frequency of off-task behaviors decreased as compared to baseline measures. The benefits of employing self-recording and utilizing contingent access to the computer are discussed.