Which time-out procedure describes maintaining the individual in the setting while access to reinforcement is denied following a target behavior?

• A. Time-out room
• B. Exclusionary time-out
• C. Nonexclusion time-out
• D. Time-out with reinforcement

Answer: (C)

Nonexclusionary time-out is a procedure in which access to reinforcement is denied after a target behavior while the person remains in the ongoing setting. The key idea is that the individual stays in the room or classroom, but their opportunities to gain reinforcement (attention, toys, activities) are temporarily blocked for a brief period. This creates a brief interruption in reinforcement without removing the person from the environment, which is the distinguishing feature.

For example, after a behavior, the student might sit in a designated area or at the edge of the activity with no access to preferred stimuli or attention for a short interval, then can rejoin the activity. This differs from time-out room or exclusionary time-out, where the person is moved to a different space or removed from the setting entirely. Time-out with reinforcement would involve giving some reinforcement during the time-out, which defeats the purpose of limiting access to reinforcement.