Abstract
Study objective: To evaluate effectiveness of exposure to day care programs on the amount of food consumed. Design: A changing criterion design was used. Setting: Day care rooms in a local psychiatric clinic and restaurants near the clinic. Participant: A 19-year-old man with psychogenic nausea and social withdrawal. Intervention: Changing the criteria for reinforcement, that is, exposure to afternoon day care programs, in relation to the amount of food consumed. Measure: Amount of food consumed. Results: An increase in the amount of food consumed was observed when the criteria were changed. Additionally, generalization was observed in settings where he had not been before, such as a room in the day care area of the clinic and restaurants outside of the clinic. Conclusion: Contingent exposure to the day care programs was effective in increasing the amount of food consumed by an individual who had showed nausea and social withdrawal.
