Psikologia : Jurnal Psikologi
Vol. 10 No. 2 (2025): July

Time Out Reduces Hitting Tantrums in Early Childhood: Istirahat Singkat Mengurangi Ledakan Emosi pada Anak Usia Dini

Nur Hayati (Program Studi Psikologi, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo)
Effy Maryam (Fakultas Psikologi dan Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo)



Article Info

Publish Date
25 Feb 2026

Abstract

General Background: Temper tantrum is a common emotional outburst in early childhood that may manifest in aggressive behaviors such as hitting and can disrupt social interactions. Specific Background: In some cases, tantrums occur with high frequency and intensity, requiring structured behavioral interventions to prevent maladaptive patterns. Knowledge Gap: Previous studies have widely applied the time out technique in children with developmental disorders, yet limited empirical evidence addresses its application in typically developing children using a Single Subject Research design. Aims: This study aims to examine the role of the time out technique in reducing hitting behavior as a form of temper tantrum in a 3.8-year-old boy. Results: Using a true experimental approach with an A1-B-A2 Single Subject Research design over 22 sessions, findings demonstrate a reduction in hitting frequency from 8–10 times per day during baseline to 4–2 times per day after intervention, with visual analysis and 0% overlap indicating consistent behavioral change. Novelty: The study provides empirical documentation of exclusionary time out applied to a non-clinical child within a structured SSR framework. Implications: These findings suggest that structured time out procedures can serve as an alternative behavioral modification strategy for parents and caregivers managing high-frequency tantrums. Keywords: Temper Tantrum, Time Out, Single Subject Research, Behavior Modification, Early Childhood Key Findings Highlights Hitting episodes declined progressively across baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases. Visual analysis indicated stable downward trends with zero data overlap in the final phase comparison. Consistent exclusionary procedure supported observable behavioral regulation.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

psikologia

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Education Other

Description

Aim: to facilitate scholar, researchers, and teachers for publishing the original articles of review articles. Scope: psychological research include: industrial and organizational psychology clinical psychology social psychology educational psychology Islamic ...