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. 1969 Spring;2(1):39-42.
doi: 10.1901/jaba.1969.2-39.

Behavioral engineering: the use of response priming to improve prescribed self-medication

N H Azrin  1 , J Powell
Affiliations

Behavioral engineering: the use of response priming to improve prescribed self-medication

N H Azrin et al. J Appl Behav Anal. 1969 Spring.

Abstract

A major problem in outpatient treatment has been the extreme irregularity with which patients use medication prescribed for them. As a new approach to resolving this problem, a portable operant apparatus was developed based on response priming and escape reinforcement. The apparatus sounded a tone at the time that a pill was to be taken. When the user turned a knob to terminate the tone, the apparatus delivered the pill into the user's hand. The apparatus was evaluated with six normal adults using a medically inert pill. A greater proportion of the pills were taken by each subject when using the special apparatus as compared with the use of a portable alarm timer or the usual wristwatch. These results demonstrate a new approach for increasing the regularity of self-administration of medicines.

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