Planned ignoring is most effective for focusing on reducing behaviors that are maintained by attention.

• A. It should be used for all types of behaviors.
• B. It should be combined with punishment always.
• C. It is most effective for behavior maintained by attention.
• D. It is most effective for behavior maintained by escape.

Answer: (C)

Planned ignoring works by removing the consequence that the problem behavior was historically getting: attention. When a behavior is maintained by attention, the attention itself serves as the reinforcer. By withholding attention after the behavior, you reduce the reinforcement driving that behavior, making it less likely to occur in the future.

This approach targets attention-maintained behaviors most effectively because the change in consequence directly addresses the function of the behavior. If a behavior is driven by other functions, like escaping requests or gaining a tangible item, planned ignoring won’t remove the reinforcer for that function and won’t be as effective on its own. For those cases, other strategies are needed, such as teaching alternative ways to escape or access to tangibles and reinforcing those appropriate behaviors.

It’s also not inherently a punishment approach; planned ignoring is a form of extinction. It’s often used without punishment and can be paired with reinforcing acceptable alternative behaviors, so the overall goal is to shift the behavior away from seeking attention toward more appropriate actions. For example, a student who taps to gain attention can be ignored briefly and then given attention when they raise a hand appropriately or receive a positive reinforcement for staying on task.