Jose Alcantar
Participants
A young boy with no medical conditions. The experiment was over a seventh month
period between the ages of sixteen months to twenty-three months old.
Procedure
The child was told and demonstrated the five steps of potty training which included:
using of the potty; pulling the pants up; flushing; putting the lid down; washing and
drying the hands. When the child had motivations to use the potty an examiner
reviewed the steps that were completed and steps that were missed. During multiple
observations a pattern was created; the child could complete every step, but only if the
examiner was present physically assisting the child. When the assistance was not
available the child continuously missed the following steps with no specific order: pulling
up of the pants; putting the lid down; washing and drying of the hands. Using a positive
reinforcement approach with a token economy was the best fit for the child to
encourage change in behavior by providing support in order for the participant to gain
confidence. The examiner walked the child through the steps, however; the child was
praised and given a prize in the form of money, candy or toys after every step. This was
done a few times to reinforce the positive behavior. The examiner slowly decreased her
contribution to the child during the sessions. Prizes and praising were still given to him