Effects on stereotypy and other challenging behavior of matching rates of instruction to free-operant rates of responding.

Research has shown that when individuals are in situations that do not occasion one form of motoric responding, they will engage in another so that the overall level of motoric responding is homeostatic. The purpose of this study was to test whether students would substitute task-related behaviors for stereotypic or other challenging behaviors when the opportunity for active responding did or did not match the level of motoric responding in a free-operant baseline. Four students with mental retardation participated. Results showed that they did substitute behaviors, with stereotypic and other challenging behaviors occurring 1.5-14 times as much in the Non-matched condition for the four students. Further analysis showed considerably more of these behaviors in passive than in active tasks (by a factor up to 21 times as much). Results were discussed in terms of homeostasis, functional assessment, and opportunities to improve educational behaviors.