Effects of a Group Response Cost Contingency Procedure on the Rate of Classroom Interruptions with Emotionally Disturbed Secondary Students

This study examined the effectiveness of a group response cost contingency procedure on the frequency of interruptions by students enrolled in a self-contained residential class for emotionally disturbed adolescents. The group response cost procedure consisted of the class being given 30 tokens at the beginning of each observation session. A token was taken away contingent upon each occurrence of an interruption by any of the students in the classroom. At the end of each observation period the remaining tokens were counted. Each remaining token could be exchanged for one minute of time that the teacher would spend reading to the students from a collection of fiction for young adults. An ABAB reversal siding was sued to examine the effectiveness of the procedure. The results of the study indicated a large reduction in interruptions during the group response cost procedure each time it was in effect. The intervention was effective and practical from a monetary and management standpoint.