Efficacy of Applied Behavior Analysis for Reducing Hitting Behavior Among Aggressive Children

Abstract

This study investigated the efficacy of Differential Reinforcement for Lower Rates of Behavior (DRL), for reducing hitting behaviour in children. DRL involves reinforcement for doing target behavior while withholding reinforcement for the inappropriate behavior. The study was carried out on six children between 3 to 10 years of age. The target behavior was the hitting behavior of the children. The whole procedure was divided into four phases, baseline, intervention, post intervention and follow up. The observations in all three stages were conducted for one hour by the parents in home setting which was divided into four intervals. Results indicated that DRL decreased the hitting behaviour of children significantly. The study was in accordance to the Applied Behavior Analysis’ principles and its construct. The study was made successful following the guidelines provided by the behavior modification theory.