Differential Reinforcement

Question 1

Differential reinforcement

Answer 1

an operant training procedure in which some behaviors are systemically reinforced, and others are not

Question 2

Differential Reinforcement of Low Rate (DRL)

Answer 2

• behaviour is reinforced only if it occurs no more than a specified number of times in a given period
• results in low rates of responding
• example: reinforce pigeons peck only after 5 seconds have elapsed
• each peck occurring before 5 seconds, resets the interval and does not provide food
• Longer intervals produce even lower rates
• Useful for reducing the rate of problem behaviours

Question 3

-Differential Reinforcement of High Rate (DRH)

Answer 3

• behavior is reinforced only if it occurs at least a specified number of times in each period
• Results in very high rates of responding
  - reinforce pigeon peck only when it has pecked at least 5 times within 10 seconds
  - less than 5 responses received nothing and the clock resets
• Useful when the goal is to increase rates of behavior

Question 4

-Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO)

Answer 4

• reinforcement is contingent on complete absence of behaviour for a period of time
• reinforce pigeon only after 10 seconds have elapsed with no pecking
• reinforcement is only provided if the behaviour does not occur
• pecking resets the clock
• Not the same as DRL
• DRL reduces rates of behaviour
• DRO eliminates rate of behaviour
• Especially useful when extinction is not an option and reinforcers are intrinsic to the behaviour
• Also called Differential Reinforcement of Zero Responding

Question 5

-Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA)

Answer 5

• a desired (replacement) behaviour while an undesired behaviour is extinguished
• procedure used to to increase frequency of desirable behaviour and to decrease undesirable behaviour, reinforced each time it occurs or not reinforced depending
• combines reinforcement for desired behaviour and extinction of undesirable

Question 6

Examples of DRA

Answer 6

• a child’s good table manners are reinforced with praise and by passing the requested food. The child’s bad table manners are extinguished by ignoring and not passing food
• Punching the correct code numbers in the ATM is reinforced with cash. Punching the wrong numbers in the ATM is extinguished by getting no cash
• typing your correct password gets you into your computer, typing the wrong password does not
• reinforce children’s playing or sharing (with continued play time) to replace fighting (terminate play time)
• Reinforce lying quietly in the dentist chair with brief break to replace disruptive behavior

Question 7

Variations of DRA

-Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behaviour (DRI)

Answer 7

• behaviour that is incompatible with the unwanted behaviour is reinforced
• Increasing the rate of desired behaviour also decreases the rate of undesired behaviour because the two cannot occur simultaneously

Question 8

Variations of DRA

-Differential Reinforcement of Communication (DRC)

Answer 8

• a communication response is reinforced to replace the problematic behavior
• the communication responses deliver the reinforcer more rapidly than the problem behavior
• Also called Functional Communication Training

Question 9

Resurgence

Answer 9

• the reappearance during extinction of a previously reinforced behavior
• e.g.
  
  • Train rat to press lever for food
  • Extinguish lever pressing
  • Train the rat to nose-poke a key for food
  • Extinguish nose-poking
• result: rat will begin to press the lever again

Question 10

Resurgence of DRA

Answer 10

-resurgence predicts the re-emergence of the problematic behavior if the alternative behavior goes onto extinction or cannot be performed

Question 11

DRA is Sometimes Too Effective?

Answer 11

• if alternative behavior is rapidly learned then it might replace the problem behavior before it has been adequately extinguished
  
  • thus. The problem behavior is likely to return in absence of alternative behavior being performed

Question 12

Solution for resurgence of DRA

Answer 12

• shape the behavior to larger intermittent reinforcement schedules
  
  • provide additional sessions of extinction where the Alternative Behavior cannot be performed, and the problem behavior is still on extinction
    
    • May be necessary to bring behavior into stimulus control (i.e., create a S^delta)

Question 13

Possible solutions if DRA is too effective

Answer 13

• do not begin reinforcing the alternative behavior immediately
  - may not be practical or ethical
  
  • Provide training sessions where the Alternative behavior cannot be performed, and the problem behavior is on extinction
  • may be necessary to bring the alternative behavior into stimulus control (i.e., create S^delta)

Question 14

Identifying putative behaviors

Answer 14

1. Use reinforcer maintaining undesirable behavior
2. Observe activities that are enjoyable and occur with high probability
   a. Playing video games, tacking tv
3. Ask questions
   a. what do they like?
   b. What do they enjoy doing?
4. Conduct Preference Assessment
5. Make the reinforcer contingent on a response
   - Note: the reinforcer you ultimately select is only a “putative” reinforcer for the desired behavior

Question 15

-Single Stimulus Assessment

Answer 15

• potential reinforcer presented individually multiple times in random orderings
• Percentage of approaches are calculated

Question 16

-Paired Stimulus Assessment

also called forced choice or paired choice procedure

Answer 16

• potential reinforcers are presented in pairs
• each stimulus is presented with every other stimulus multiple times
• Percentage of approaches/selections are calculated

Question 17

Multiple Stimulus Assessment

Answer 17

• Potential reinforcers are presented in a full array
• Items are removed as they are chosen
• Process is repeated with varied item orderings
• Items chosen first are likely to more reinforcing

Question 18

How to use DRA

Answer 18

1. Define the target behavior to increase and decrease
2. Identify the reinforcer for the problem behavior
3. Choose a reinforcer for the desirable behavior
4. Reinforce desirable behavior immediately and consistently
   a. Prompt the behavior id necessary
   b. Prompt before important EO and SD are present
   c. Desirable behavior should require less effort than the undesirable behavior
5. Extinguish or devalue the reinforcer for the undesirable behavior
   a. Consider using DRL, DRO procedures if not possible
6. Begin to incorporate intermittent schedules of reinforcement for the desirable behavior

Question 19

What makes a DRA easier

Answer 19

-easiest if the desirable behavior occurs occasionally or can be prompted

Question 20

How can DRA promote creativity ?

Answer 20

• differentially reinforce responses that have not recently been used
  
  • creates response variability rather than repetition

Question 21

Ratio Strain

Answer 21

-disruptive of the pattern of responding due to stretching the ratio of reinforcement too abruptly or too far

Question 22

What influences the limits of ratio strain

Answer 22

Reinforcer (magnitude, establishing operations quality, delay)

• type of schedule
• how it was stretched

Question 23

Self-modification is susceptible to

Answer 23

Ratio strain because you control access to the reinforcer

-make contingencies very easy at first and slowly stretch ratio requirements

Question 24

Antecedents

Answer 24

Aka controlling stimuli

Question 25

Antecedent Control Procedures

Answer 25

-Antecedent control procedures manipulating controlling stimuli in the environment to make desirable behaviours more likely and undesirable behaviours less likely

Question 26

Procedures for Increasing Desirable Behaviour

Answer 26

1. Present SDs for desired behaviour
   a. Present stimuli / arrange environments such that the behaviour will be more likely to occur
   b. Note: SDs don’t guarantee a Behaviour will occur, they just alter the probability and some will alter it more than others
2. Develop new SDs by limiting the occurrences of specific behaviours to specific situations
   a. Will help prevent competing behaviours form interfering with the desired behaviour
3. Arrange establishing operations for desirable behaviour
   a. Examples
   i. Insomnia
4. Avoid taking naps during the day
5. Only go to bed when actually tired
6. Wake up the same time each day
   ii. Healthy eating
7. Purchase fresher better tasting food
8. Cook with more varied foods that you have not experienced much and don’t eat the same thing each day
9. Decrease response effort for desirable behaviour
   a. Arrange the environment that it is :ready to go” when you need the behaviour to occur
   b. Break the desired behaviour up into smaller tasks

Question 27

Procedures for decreasing undesirable behaviors

Answer 27

1. Remove the SDs for undesirable behaviours (assuming extinction is not possible)
2. Make the behavior impossible
3. Present abolishing operations for undesirable behaviours
4. Increase response effort and.or delay for undesirable behaviours
5. Extinguish SDs for undesirable behaviours when they cant be easily avoided

Question 28

Other tips for increasing/decreasing behaviours

Answer 28

• lookout for behaviour chains
  
  • its often easier to modify earlier elements than later elements
• Modify environments gradually (baby steps)
  
  • if an undesirable behaviour occurs in many environments or you want a desired behaviour to occur in many environments, it’s usually advantageous to focus on modifying one environment first and so on. Don’t try and do it all at once.
• If you fail to avoid a particular situation, then try and escape it
  
  • engaging in an undesirable behaviour is not the end of the world
• Modify as many elements an environment as possible
  
  • the more controlling stimuli that are working in your favour the higher the chance of success

Question 29

When should you use DRA?

Answer 29

• do you want to increase the rate of a desirable behaviour?
• is the behaviour already occurring at least occasionally?
• do you have access to a reinforcer that you can deliver after the occurrence of the behaviour?

Question 30

What is a preference assessment?

Answer 30

trying out a variety of different stimuli and see which one the person prefers (likely to function as reinforcers)

Question 31

What is the MSWO? (multiple stimulus with-out replacements procedure

Answer 31

The stimuli chosen first are liekly to be a stronger reinforcers than the stimuli chosen last, are are presented numerous times to establish which will reinforce most

Question 32

what is another technique that can be used to assess reinforcers?

Answer 32

• make each potential reinforcer contingent on an operant response
• hitting a switch to play music
• which task are they willing to perform and for what reinforcer?

Question 33

Why is an intermittent schedule better to use after the behaviour is established?

Answer 33

because it maintains the behaviour over time and makes it more resistant to extinction

Question 34

Why should you program for generalization?

Answer 34

so that the behaviour will occur outside the training situation and in all relevant situations.

-reward intermittently in as many relevant situation as possible, by as many people as possible