Time-Out

Time-out from reinforcement, also referred to as timeout (TO), is a procedure in which positive reinforcement is not available for a specified period of time. During TO, the individual does not have access to positive reinforcers that are normally available in the setting. TO is a punishment procedure developed from laboratory animal research that evaluated the impact of temporarily suspending the opportunity to earn food reinforcement (i.e., time-out from reinforcement). Extrapolations of the laboratory procedure have been effective in changing behavior in many applied settings (e.g., classrooms; day care facilities; the home; institutions for children, adolescents, and adults with mental retardation or psychiatric disorders).

TO requires that sources of reinforcement (e.g., attention from the teacher, participation in an activity) are withdrawn for a brief period of time following the behavior that one wants to decrease. In the usual application, a location is selected that removes the child from the situation—in the classroom, this would be a special chair or corner of the room where the child must remain for the duration. However, the definition permits many other variations. If attention is the reinforcer, keeping the child in the situation but not attending to or calling on him or her for a brief period constitutes TO. In an effective and creative variation, children in a special education class received social reinforcement (praise and smiles) for their work. Each child wore a ribbon around his or her neck that signified that the teacher could provide reinforcement as the children worked. Any disruptive behavior was followed by TO, which consisted of removing the ribbon for three minutes. During this period, the child could not receive reinforcers normally administered. Other variants of TO have included a period in which TV or music is turned off or in which others are asked to leave the room to go to another activity while the person remains behind.

The effectiveness of TO depends on several conditions:

• TO ought to be administered immediately after the behavior.
• The duration should be brief (e.g., 1 to 10 or 15 minutes). More time is not invariably more effective.
• The behavior and TO procedure ought to be described to the child in advance so that all is explicit.
• TO should be preceded by a verbal warning that TO will be administered if a behavior reaches a certain level.
• When administered, the person should be told calmly that he or she has to go to TO, told exactly what was done, and how much time will be spent.
• Physical coercion (e.g., grabbing by the arm, forcing) should not be used to take the child to TO; this is likely to foster oppositional behavior and aggression.
• While in TO, no attention should be provided to the child.
• If the child refuses to go to TO, it is helpful to have a back-up aversive consequence (loss of privilege) that can be used instead.
• When the child is in TO, there may be some requirements—such as being calm for all or some of the time interval before returning to the environment.
• A timer or the equivalent should be used to track the duration so that both the person who administers the procedure and the child who is in TO have an objective way of tracking the time.
• Depending on the setting and location of TO, it is useful to be able to check on the child during TO to ensure he or she is safe.
• When the individual is not in TO, there ought to be a reinforcement program to foster prosocial behavior and behavior that is opposite of the punished [Page 981]behavior. For example, if disruptive behavior in the classroom is the basis for invoking a 5-minute TO, there ought to be an explicit reinforcement (e.g., praise, tokens) program for academic performance and working on assignments.

Of all the guidelines, the most important one is the one most commonly overlooked. The effectiveness of TO depends heavily on the ongoing reinforcement in the environment. The “time-in period” (i.e., what is going on when individuals are not in TO) is critical. If the environment is highly reinforcing (e.g., teacher praise, engaging activity), removal from the reinforcement is much more effective than if this is merely isolation in a relatively sterile environment. Punishment does not teach what to do; it only focuses on what not to do, and the desired behavior does not automatically increase or occur as a result of punishment, whether TO or some other form. Effective application combines reinforcement for prosocial behavior with TO for the behavior to be suppressed.

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