Planned Ignoring
Also called: attention extinction
Definition
Withholding attention — eye contact, comment, physical contact — following a behavior that is maintained by attention, as written into a plan. It is extinction for attention-maintained behavior, not a general response to misbehavior: ignoring a behavior maintained by escape or by automatic reinforcement does nothing, and ignoring a dangerous behavior is never the plan.
In plain language
Not giving attention after a behavior that happens to get attention. It only makes sense when attention was the reward. It is never used for anything unsafe.
Example
A learner's silly noises used to get laughs. Staff now carry on without reacting, as the plan directs, and praise the learner when they speak normally.
Not planned ignoring
Ignoring a learner's protests about a task. If the protest was about escaping the task, attention was never the reinforcer and ignoring it changes nothing.
Commonly confused with
See also
Written from
- lerman-iwata-1996
Written from Lerman and Iwata (1996) and general practice. No textbook glossary consulted.
This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.