Stimulus control of stereotypic responding: effects on target and collateral behavior.

Inhibitory stimulus control over stereotypic responding of two profoundly retarded adults was established. Discrimination training using the overcorrection technique was carried out under conditions where a light on one end of a series of five lights signalled the presence of the punishment contingency and the light on the other end signalled nonpunishment. Tests for generalization of inhibition were made to all five lights in the series, resulting in generalization gradients. A multiple-baseline procedure was employed in which both target (punished) and nontarget stereotypies were recorded. Steep generalization gradients were obtained, indicating that the subjects were able to make sharp discriminations between safe and unsafe conditions. Deceleration of the target stereotypy was accompanied by marked increases in rates of nonpunished stereotypies. Orderly generalization gradients were obtained for the collateral behavior as well.