A comparison of contingent vs non-contingent competing response practice in the treatment of nervous habits.

Previous research found that two components of the habit reversal procedure, the practice of a competing response (CR) and awareness training, suppressed muscle tics to the same degree as Azrin's entire habit reversal program. This study compared the effectiveness of two variations of the competing response procedure (contingent vs non-contingent practice) on the nervous habits of nine subjects. The results showed the non-contingent competing response to be largely ineffective in decreasing the target behaviors. The contingent competing response procedure greatly reduced the nervous habits of most subjects, and the complete habit reversal procedure further decreased the behavior for two subjects. This research indicates that the competing response procedure is most effective when used in a contingent fashion.