Quiz 7 Flashcards
Extinction
- One of the first procedures that should be considered for treating a problem behavior
- As long as problem behavior is continuing it must be getting reinforced in some way
– Must identify reinforcing consequence & eliminate it
What do we collect to Assess Treatment Effects?
- Record the problem behavior before & after the use of extinction to assess decrease in problem behavior
- Need: Behavioral definition, reliable data collection method, baseline assessment of behavior, data collection in all relevant settings after treatment, continued data collection to assess generalization & maintenance
- If data does not show a reduction in problem behavior, you can reassess problem or extinction procedures & make changes
How do you Identify the Reinforcer for the Problem Behavior through Functional Assessment?
- Identify the antecedents & consequences of the problem behavior
- Must identify the specific reinforcers for the problem behavior to use extinction
- The reinforcing consequence may involve the behavior of another person (social reinforcer) or a change in a physical (nonsocial) stimulus or environmental event (automatic reinforcer)
Eliminate the Reinforcer after Each Instance of the Problem Behavior
- Failure to eliminate the particular stimulus or events that function as the reinforcers for problem behavior is a failure to implement extinction
- Need to determine if the reinforcer can be eliminated – can the change agent (parent, teacher, client, etc.) control the reinforcer
Is Extinction Safe?
- Determine if extinction could result in the farm of the individual or those around them
- Do not use extinction unless you know it is safe to eliminate the reinforcer
- Do not use extinction if providing physical intervention (to address escape/avoidance behavior) would be unsafe
- Do not use extinction if the extinction burst cannot be tolerated
- If extinction is implemented correctly the reinforcer should never follow the problem behavior (consistency is key)
– Change agents must be trained to use extinction (instructions, modeling, feedback)
– Consider the reinforcing the change agents behavior of using extinction correctly
When do we Take into Account the Schedule of Reinforcement before Extinction
- Continuously reinforced behavior will decrease more rapidly, when the behavior is intermittently reinforced the behavior decreases gradually
Reinforcing Alternative Behaviors
- Extinction should always be used in conjunction with reinforcement procedures
- Reinforcement increases a replacement behavior
- Alternative behavior must serve the same function as the problem behavior
Promoting Generalization & Maintenance
Generalization- problem behavior will stop taking place in all relevant circumstances
Maintenance- behavior change will last over time
Differential Reinforcement [placholder]
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Reinforcing one response class
- When dealing with reducing problem behavior, this involves
– Reinforcing a behavior other than problem behavior behavior
– Reinforcing a reduced rate of problem behavior
- Withholding reinforcement for another
Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)
- Reinforce a behavior that cannot occur in tandem with a problem behavior
- Withhold reinforcement for instances of problem behavior
Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA)
- Reinforce occurrences of desirable alternative to problem behavior but that is not necessarily incompatible
- Reinforcement is withheld for problem behavior
Sometimes when reinforcer is a negative reinforcer
DNRI - Differential negative reinforcement of incompatible behavior
DNRA- Differential negative reinforcement of alternative behavior
Guidelines for implementing behavior [placeholder]
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When to select incompatible/alternative behavior
- Already exists in repertoire
- Requires equal or less effort than problem behavior
- Emitted at a rate that provides sufficient opportunities for reinforcement
- Likely to be reinforced in natural environment
After what assessments do we select reinforcers that can be controlled?
- Identify via stimulus preference assessment
- Identify via functional behavior assessment
– Use same consequence as is maintaining problem behavior for appropriate/incompatible behavior
Guidelines for implementing DRI/DRA
- Reinforce incompatible/alternative behavior immediately and consistently
- Withhold reinforcement for problem behavior
– Some “mistakes” may be tolerable
Combine with other procedures
DRO
Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior
– Deliver reinforcer whenever the problem behavior has not occurred for a specific time
– “Reinforcement for not responding”
Fixed-Interval DRO (FI-DRO)
- the reinforcer is given at the end of successive time intervals of equal duration
- To apply
– Establish interval
– Deliver reinforcement at end of interval if problem behavior didn’t occur during the interval
- If problem behavior occurs, reset interval
Forms of DRO [placeholder]
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Variable-interval DRO (VI-DRO)
- Omission requirement is applied at the end of successive time intervals of variable and unpredictable durations
– To apply:
— Establish variable interval schedule
— Deliver reinforcement at end of interval if problem behavior didn’t occur during the interval
— If problem behavior occurs, reset interval
Fixed-momentary DRO (FM-DRO) and Variable-momentary DRO
Omission requirement is applied only at the end of successive time intervals of fixed or variable durations (contingency not in place during interval)
- To apply:
– Establish interval
– Deliver reinforcement at end of interval if problem behavior didn’t occur at the end of the interval
What Type of DRO To Use?
- Interval more widely used that momentary
- Interval more effective for suppressing problem behavior
- Momentary may be most useful for maintaining reduced levels of problem behavior
Recognize limitations of Variable/Momentary DRO
- Reinforcement provided if absence of target problem behavior
– If another, nontargeted problem behavior occurs, it is reinforced
— May need to shorten interval
— May need to include other problem behaviors in definition
- With Momentary DROs, reinforcement is delivered if problem is not occurring at end of interval, even if it occurred throughout the majority of the interval
– Change to interval DRO
– Shorten interval
Set initial DRO intervals that assure frequent reinforcement
- Calculate the mean baseline interresponse time (IRT)
- Set interval that is equal to or slightly less than mean IRT
Do not inadvertently reinforce other undesirable behaviors
Make rule: must have absence of target problem behavior and other inappropriate behaviors
How and when do you gradually increase the DRO interval?
Three options:
- Increase by constant duration of time
- Increase intervals proportionately
- Increase based on learner’s performance
Extend to other settings and times of day
Combine with other procedures
Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates of Responding (DRL)
- Use to decrease the frequency of the occurrence of a behavior, but not eliminate it all together
What does a Full-session DRL look like?
- Reinforcement is delivered at the end of a session if during the entire session, the target behavior occurred equal to or fewer times thana predetermined criterion
Interval DRL
- Divide the total session into a series of equal intervals of time
- Provide reinforcement at the end of each interval in which the number of occurrences of target behavior is equal to or below predetermined criterion
Spaced- responding DRL
- Deliver reinforcer following an occurrence of a behavior that is separated by at least a minimum amount of time from a previous behavior
- In other words, reinforcement in contingent on increasingly longer IRTs (inter-response time)
Guidelines of using DRL [placeholder]
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Recognize limitations for DRL
- DRL is slow and does nor reduce a behavior quickly
When and how to choose the most appropriate DRL procedure
- Spaced responding is the only DRL procedure that delivers reinforcement immediately following response and maintains lower rates
- Use full-session and interval DRO when it is okay to have either no or low rates of target behavior
- Spaced responding provides higher rates of reinforcement
Use baseline data to guide selection of intial response or IRT limits
- Set at baseline or slightly lower
Hierarchy of DRL/Gradually thinning the DRL schedule
- Full-session DRL: set new criterion based on learner’s current performance
- Interval DRL: gradually decrease number of responses per interval
- Spaced-responding: adjust IRT criterion based on performance
Provide informational feedback to the learner
Enhance effectiveness by helping learner monitor performance
Identification of Reinforcers [placeholder]
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How to identify an appropriate reinforcer?
- Observe the person
- Ask the client, parents, or teachers
- Use reinforcer questionnaires
- Present potential reinforcers continent on an operant response & measure response rate or duration
- Preference assessment:
– Single stimulus assessment
– Paired stimulus assessment
– Multiple stimulus assessment (variation: multiple stimulus without replacement)
Single stimulus assessments
Allow you to hypothesize whether a child likes or dislikes items, as well as hypothesize a child’s preference hierarchy from a select group of items
- Use when child does not make consistent choices based on preference
- Use if child engages in challenging behavior when fav toys are taken because child can play with toy as long as they desire
Paired stimulus assessments
Allow you to determine a child’s preference hierarchy form a select group of items
- More time-consuming that MSWOs and MSWs, they are appropriate for children who do not consistently scan a large array and make a choice based on preference
- Typically, preference assessments with toys and with edibles are conducted separately
Multiple Stimulus Assessment (MSW & MSWOs)
Allow you to determine a child’s preference hierarchy from a select group of items
- Most appropriate for children consistently scan a large array of items and make a consistent choice based on relative preference
- Do not use if child is likely to engage in problem behavior when toys are removed
- Typically, preference assessments with toys and with edibles are conducted seperately
