CH23 - Antecedents Flashcards
Antecedent
An environmental condition or stimulus change existing or occurring prior to a behavior of interest.
SD’s and MO’s related to behavior of the organism.
SD’s evoke behavior due to past correlation with increased availability of reinforcement. MO’s increase current frequency of behavior when an effective reinforcer is not available.
Antecedent treatment involving stimulus control
These must include:
MANIPULATING CONSEQUENT events,
CHANGING the DIFFERENTIAL AVAILABILITY of reinforcement in the PRESENCE AND ABSENCE of the S.D.
Functions of Antecedent Stimuli
a. Contingency dependent.
b. Contingency independent
Contingency Dependent (antecedent control)
a) DEPENDENT on the CONSEQUENCES of behavior for DEVELOPING EVOCATIVE & ABATIVE effects.
b) All stimulus control functions are CONTINGENCY DEPENDENT.
For example, 2+2 = ? student responds 4 because responding with 4 has been reinforced in the past. c) Referred to as antecedent control.
Contingency Independent (antecedent event).
a) The ANTECEDENT EVENT itself AFFECTS BEHAVIOR–CONSEQUENCE RELATIONS.
b) Not dependent on the consequences of behavior for developing evocative and abative effects. For example, sleep deprivation can influence the occurrences of problem behaviors in the absence of a history of pairing sleep deprivation with reinforcement or punishment.
c) Referred to as ANTECEDENT INTERVENTION
Abolishing operations
- DECREASES the REINFORCING EFFECTIVENESS of some STIMULUS.
- DECREASES the STRENGTH of the BEHAVIOR that has produced that stimulus in the past.
- Antecedent interventions serve to have AO’s DECREASE the EFFECTIVENESS of REINFORCERS that maintain PROBLEM BEHAVIORS.
What are the Temporal effects of MO’s?
The effects of MOs are temporary. (Antecedent interventions by themselves will not produce permanent improvements in behavior).
Noncontingent Reinforcement (NCR)
a) REINFORCERS that maintain the problem behavior are available freely & frequent.
b) An antecedent intervention in which stimuli with known reinforcing properties are delivered on a FIXED–TIME (FT) or VARIABLE TIME (VT) schedule independent of the learner’s behavior.
c) FUNCTIONS as an AO, REDUCING the MOTIVATION to ENGAGE in the problem behavior. Also referred to as PRESENTING STIMULI with KNOWN REINFORCING PROPERTIES.
NCR uses three distinct procedures that deliver stimuli with known reinforcing properties:
1) Positive reinforcement (i.e., social mediation),
2) Negative reinforcement (i.e., escape),
3) Automatic reinforcement (i.e., without social mediation).
NCR with positive reinforcement provides either?
Providing attention or tangibles on a fixed time (FT) or variable time (VT) schedule.
NCR with negative reinforcement
Providing escape on a fixed time (FT) or variable time (VT) schedule.
NCR with Automatic Reinforcement
Free access to highly preferred items.
Using NCR effectively (7)
1) Enhancing Effectiveness.
2) Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
3) Emphasizing NCR.
4) Time–based NCR schedules.
5) Thinning Time–based schedules
6) Setting terminal criteria
7) Considerations for using NCR
Using NCR Effectively: 1) Enhancing the Effectiveness (3)
Three key elements:
1) The AMOUNT and QUALITY of stimuli with known reinforcing properties influence the effectiveness of NCR.
2) Include EXTINCTION with NCR interventions.
3) VARY the Available Stimuli – to reduce problems of changing preferences
Using NCR Effectively: 2) FBA
The effectiveness of using NCR is dependent on the correct identification of the positive, negative, or automatic reinforcers maintaining the problem behaviors–– FBA
The Right schedule for NCR
a) Similarities between baseline and initial NCR may be ineffective.
b) Denser reinforcement (than during baseline) during initial NCR ensures discrepancy & better chances for intervention to be successful
Ringdahl and colleagues (2001) suggested three procedures for emphasizing reinforcement during the NCR intervention:
1) Increase the delivery of stimuli with known reinforcing properties,
2) Use an obviously different schedule of reinforcement at treatment onset (e.g., continuous reinforcement) and
3) Combine DRO with the NCR treatment package.
Using NCR Effectively: 4) Time–based NCR schedules:
a) What you need to know and
b) The formula.
Fixed–time schedule (typical) and Variable–time schedule:
1) Know the baseline then make denser.
2) Determining the initial NCR schedule. – Divide the total duration of all baseline sessions by the total number of occurrences of the problem behavior.
3) Set the initial interval at or slightly below the quotient
Using NCR Effectively: 5) Thinning Time–Based Schedules, Three Types:
AFTER THE INITIAL NCR interval has produced REDUCTION IN PROBLEM BEHAVIOR:
1) Constant time increase,
2) Proportional time increase,
3) Session–to–session time increase or decrease.
Constant time increase (review Cooper)
Decrease the amount of time that the learner has access to the NCR stimuli by a constant amount of time.
Example: increase the schedule interval by 7 seconds at each opportunity, and each time decrease access to the stimuli by 3 seconds.
Proportional Time Increase
Each time, the schedule interval (FT or VT) is increased by the same proportion of time. – ex: each time interval is increased by 5%.
Session–to–session time increase or decrease.
Use the learner’s performance to change the schedule interval on a session–to–session basis. – ex: at the end of a session, the therapist establishes a new NCR time interval for the next session by dividing the number of problem behaviors that occurred in that session by the duration of the session and using that quotient as the next session’s FT interval
Using NCR Effectively: 6) Setting terminal (ending) criteria. (review Cooper)
Behavior analysts usually select an arbitrary terminal criterion for NCR schedule thinning
