Unit 3 Flashcards
Antecedent Interventions
Treatment and introduction to Antecedent interventions
Antecedent
An Environmental event that precedes a response & affects the likelihood that the response will or will not occur in the current env
2 types of Antecedents
- Discriminative stimuli
- Motivating operations
discriminative Stimulus
An antecedent stimulus that evokes or abates a specific bx due to a history of differential Rx or punishment in the presence or absence of that antecedent stimulus
Motivating operation
An antecedent environmental variable that increases or decreases the effectiveness o of a consequence & evokes or abates a response
Antecedent’s Effect on Behavior
- Momentarily increase or decrease a dimension of the bx
- Bx-altering altering effect
- This is true of both discriminative stimuli & Motivating operations
2 Behavior-Altering Effects of Antecedents
- Evoke: A response is more likely to occur in the moment
- Evocative effect - Abate: A response is less likely to occur in the moment
- Abative effect
Name 2 types of Antecedents:
- Motivating operations
- Discriminative stimuli
Remember:
- Operant functional relations form from contingencies btw specific antecedent events, bx & consequences
- Operant bx is never under the control of antecedents alone
Antecedents Relation to Consequences
- Antecedents have last names!
- Positive or negative reinforcement or punishment
- The effect of an antecedent will always depend on the relation to the consequence
Discriminative Stimuli and Availability of Reinforcement
-In this moment, is the reinforcer likely to follow a specific response?
Availability of Reinforcement
- An Sd (for Rx) is established due to its presence being correlated with a past availability of Rx
- The Sd ‘signals’ that the reinforcer is available for a specific response
- Last name of Sd = positive or negative Rx
Unavailability of Reinforcement
- An S-delta is established due to its presence being correlated with the past Unavailability of the Rx
- The S-delta “signals” that the reinforcer is Not available for a specific response
- Last name of S-delta = positive/ negative Rx
Effects of Sds and Sdelta on Bx
- An Sd evokes a specific bx
- The bx was reinforced in the presence of the Sd in the past
- An S-delta abates a specific bx
- The bx was Not reinforced in the presence of the S-delta in the past
What is meant by the phrase, “All antecedents have last names”?
“The effects of an antecedent always depend on its relation to the consequence
Value Altering Effects of MOs for Reinforcement
- Establishing operation (EO)
- Increases the effectiveness (value of a reinforcer)
- Abolishing operation (AO)
- Decreases the effectiveness (value) of Rx
Effects of EOs and AOs on Behavior
- An EO evokes a specific Bx
- The bx increases in the moment due to the increase in effectiveness of the reinforcer
- An AO Abates a specific Bx
- The bx decreases in the moment due to the decrease in effectiveness of the reinforcer
Destiny just ate lunch and had ice cream for dessert. The BCBA wants to work with her on using PECS to ask for her favorite snacks, but Destiny is not responding. Destiny’s recent meal could be functioning as:
-AO for S+
Why is it important to identify motivating operations when addressing problem behavior?
“Identifying motivating operations can help decrease the likelihood of problem bx occurring & increase the likelihood of appropriate bx occurring”
Antecedent Interventions
- Manipulations of Environments that occur prior to the occurrence of the target bx
- The target bx can be either prob bx or bx for increase designed to replace prob bx
Characteristics of Antecedent Interventions
- Does not involve explicit contingencies btw a response & a consequence
- The stimulus delivery is not contingent on the occurrence of any bx
- Consequences that may occur following bx are by-products
Classifying Antecedent Interventions
- Underlying mechanisms for their effects:
- MO effects: Alter the effectiveness of consequences & either evoke or abate bx
- Discriminative effects: Alter discriminative control over bx
Successful antecedent interventions do which of the following?
(check all that apply)
- Abate Problem Bx
- Evoke replacement bx
An antecedent intervention _____ directly alter a response-consequence contingency
a. Does
b. Does not
b. Does not
Identify two ways to classify antecedent interventions based on the underlying mechanisms:
- MO effects
- Discriminative effects
Classifying Antecedent interventions (con..t)
- Underlying mechanisms for their effects:
- Contingency manipulations are designed to Evoke prosocial bx & abate prob bx & the Rx
- Restricts ability: Makes it difficult or impossible to engage in the problem bx
Role of Antecedents in Treatment
- Antecedent manipulations are designed to evoke prosocial bx and abate problem bx
- Effects are often transitory or momentary
- Consequences determine long-term effects of an intervention
Considerations for Antecedent Interventions
- Use only as a component of a treatment plan
- Combine with Rx procedures
- Include extinction and/ or punishment procedures as part of the plan if needed
Some Misconceptions About Antecedent Interventions
- Shouldn’t situations that evoke prob bx just be avoided?
- Isn’t lowering requirements at the start regarding bad bx?
- Why increase requirements if prob bx is now low or has stopped?
Generic Antecedent Interventions
- Antecedent interventions that can have an effect on bx regardless of the function of the bx
- The same intervention can be used across different functions
- Occasionally cited as “default” interventions
Which of the following is true of generic antecedent interventions?
(check all that apply)
- Can have multiple uses
- Can affect bx regardless of the maintaining contingency
- Are also called “Default” interventions
- Can abate problem bx
Once the function of the behavior is determined, generic antecedent interventions cannot be used.
a. True
b. False
b. False
Environmental Enrichment (EE)
- Providing continuous, noncontingent access to social interaction, materials and/ or activities in settings of interest
- AKA enriched env
Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of EE
- May function as abolishing operations (AOs) for:
- Positive Rx (in the form of neg attention)
- Neg Rx (in the form of escape)
- Automatic positive/ neg Rx (in the form of sensory stimulation)
Research Literature in EE
- Most of the research has focused on reduction of stereotypic bx maintained by automatic +rx
- e.g. from literature
- Favell et al. (1982): Providing alternate sensory activities in the treatment of self-injury
Considerations for EE
- Use highly preferred stimuli
- Vary &/ or rotate stimuli
- Provide stimulation similar to maintaining consequences
- Does Not consist of time-contingent delivery of preferred stimuli!
Which of the following are considerations for environmental enrichment:
(check all that apply)
- Use highly preferred items/ activities
- Very stimuli presented
Explain the difference between environmental enrichment and time-contingent delivery:
In Env enrichment the items used & the attention provided are available continuously & can be accessed whenever the individual chooses to engage with a particular item or person. Time-contingent delivery is a schedule tht delivers preferred items or attention that possibly function as reinforcers on either a variable/ fixed time schedule
Antecedent Exercise
*Involving individuals in a noncontingent systematic prob of effortful activities e.g. Aerobic, biking, dancing etc
Mechanisms Underlaying the Effects of Antecedent Exercise
- Likely to be MO effects, but not yet empirically verified
- Possibly pain reduction or “anxiety” reduction as an AO for neg Rx
Mechanisms Underlaying the Effects of Antecedent Exercise (con…t)
- Fatigue as a possible underlying mechanism has been rules out in several studies
- Appropriate bx has often increased as a result of antecedent exercise
- No decrease in activity level
How can we determine that the effects of antecedent exercise are NOT due to fatigue?
We can observe an increase in alternative bx
Relaxation Exercises
2 types
- Progressive relaxation
- Progressive relaxation:
Systematically tensing & releasing different pats of the body while engaging in deep breathing
Relaxation Exercises
2 types
- Behavioral relaxation
- Behavioral relaxation: Using physical guidance, modeling, reinforcement & feedback to teach individuals to tense & release different parts of the body systematically
- Used more often with naive learners
Relaxation exercises involve deep breathing while tensing and releasing different parts of the body.
a. True
b. False
a. True
Roland is a program manager at a group home. Every weekend he provides preferred activities for the residents to choose from throughout the day, including basketball, biking, video games, movies, music, and crafts. Which type of antecedent strategy is Roland using?
Environmental enrichment
Terrence has a few students in his class who become agitated and engage in disruptive behaviors during his reading lesson. Because of this, each morning he has all students do deep breathing while tensing and relaxing different parts of their bodies. Which type of antecedent strategy is Terrence using?
-Relaxation exercises
Cushion Antecedent Predictors
*Identifying the event that evokes the prob bx & modifying it in such a way as to abolish its effect & abate the prob bx
Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Cushioning Predictors
- Likely to be MO effects:
- AO for +Rx (in the form of attention)
- AO for -Rx (in the form of escape)
- Possible Sd effects
- New Sd for +Rx developed
Which of the following could be an underlying effect of cushioning predictors?
- AO for positive Rx (attention)
- AO for neg Rx (escape)
- SD for +Rx
Do not Mention “Bad” Bx
-do not talk in front of an individual as if they are not present when they are
Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Not Mentioning Behavior
- Sd effects: -Mentoring = Sd for + rx
- Not mentioning = Sdelta for + Rx
- Possible MO effects -Mention in the presence of a new person (visitor) = EO for + Rx
Identify the possible effects of mentioning problem behavior in presence of the behaver:
- SD for positive Rx
- EO for positive Rx
Medical Treatment
- Interventions provided noncontingently for health related issue(s) that have an effect on prob bx
- Treated by a physician, typically with medication
Name some common medical issues you may encounter when working with individuals:
-Head aches, earache, toothaches, back aches, cuts, bruises, other injuries
Noncontingent Restraints & Protective Equipment
- The addition of equipment designed to restrict movement & prevent occurrences of prob bx
- Highly restrictive & only used when absolutely necessary as a last resort
Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Physical Restraints
- Abates problem bx by restricting the individual’s ability to engage in the prob bx altogether
- May actually have an EO effect that is counter productive
Treating self-injury with the use of protective equipment is a restrictive procedure that should only be used as a last resort.
a. False
b. True
a. True
What could be the counterproductive effect of using restrictive protective equipment?
-It could function as an EO for the maintaining consequence
Function-Based Antecedent Interventions
- Antecedent interventions designed to correlate with the variables maintaining the bx
- Interventions vary based on the function of the bx
2 Broad, Function-Based Antecedent Strategies
- Discriminative stimulus control strategies
- Time-based schedules
Discriminative Stimulus Control Related to Reinforcement
*Bx is. more likely
