Assessing Childhood Noncompliance: Subtle Differences in One Step Commands and their Effects on Response Topography

Those researching and assessing child noncompliance have generally failed to use commands that are standard and equivalent. Commands presented in research have generally been rationaly-derived and situation specific. As a result, it is not clear what impact the commands alone may be having on increasing compliance. This study compares compliance rates to two sets of commands derived from the existing literature (easy motor commands and difficult motor commands). The results show a clear difference in the natural rates of compliance to different types of one-step commands. This suggests that even subtle differences in one-step commands can have a significant impact on response topography.