Unit 5 Flashcards
Reinforcement history a. Define
influence of paste vents on current behavior qExamples: §Behavior that persists in particular contexts during extinction §Responding that occurs at unnecessarily high or low rates §Rule-governed behavior that doesn’t match current contingencies qA central tenet of behavior analysis (we don’t start with a blank slate every day
Why Is Reinforcement History Important?
Your clients and research participants will have existing reinforcement histories. q Those histories may influence responding during your assessments and interventions, resulting in: § Responding in ways that you did not predict § Unsuccessful treatment attempts § Less rapid changes in responding than predicted qHistory effects can be exacerbated in certain conditions. qHistorical variables can pose threats to the internal validity of experiments.
q Which of the following describes the term “reinforcement history”?
Influence of past events on current behavior
Describe several situations for which consideration would be appropriate when using: i. FI schedules
Historically, fixed interval (FI) schedules used as target schedules q FI schedules may be particularly sensitive to reinforcement history effects Naturally occurring schedules maintaining behavior may share features with FI schedules qFI schedules may be used for acquisition and maintenance of appropriate behavior
Reinforcement History- Implications for Application
Reinforcement history should be considered when different treatment effects are observed across participants or across replications qReinforcement history could be used to improve intervention outcomes
Implications for Application: History in Intervention
Interval schedules may be easier to implement than ratio schedules q Could manipulate rate on interval schedules by arranging for particular histories q Permit shifts to interval schedules after establishing histories with DRA on ratio schedules – may create bias toward appropriate behavior
Implications for Application: Residential Treatment
qProblem behavior reinforced on a DRH-like schedule in the home qChild experiences treatment in a residential setting qTreatment implemented in home may result in high response rates • Particularly, if a relatively “weak” schedule used in treatment • Even if treatment is implemented with high integrity
Applied behavior analysts frequently study reinforcement history as a subject in its own right.
b. False
. Time-based schedules
There may be some conditions under which time-based schedules (NCR) are not effective due to reinforcement history. q Intermittent FR histories could interfere with suppressive effects of time-based schedules. q May be able to arrange “baseline” contingencies to enhance the efficacy of time-based schedules. q Clinicians should make reinforcement rate different between response-dependent baseline and time-based schedules if seeking response suppression.
Alleman & Zeiler (1974) found that response rates during fixed-time schedules were:
High if the pigeons had ever experienced FR
Which of the following might a clinician consider doing if he wanted to maintain responding during response-independent (FT) reinforcement?
Yoke (equate) the FT schedule to the obtained response-dependent reinforcement rate
History Effects in Application: High-P Sequences
High-p = high probability q Refers to requests that are likely to result in compliance from client q Involve repeated presentation of “high-p” requests, with a few interspersed “low-p” requests q Reinforcement for compliance (typically, FR1) q Substantially increase compliance with low-p requests as a function of events in the client’s immediate history q But, effects are short-lived
Becky, a BCBA, wants to use a high-p procedure in a pre-school classroom to improve compliance with a number-identification task. She tells her client to draw a picture, a high-p request. After about 5 minutes of drawing, she tells the client to stand up (another high-p request)– he stands up. She gathers her teaching materials for about 30s, then asks the client to identify a number. Is the client likely to comply?
No
a. Define operant extinction
q Operant conditioning deals with voluntary responses that are part of contingencies q Operant responses increase in rate as a result of reinforcement q Extinction: § Involves no longer providing the reinforcer dependent on the response § Results in the decreased response rates (breaking the contingency)
Differentiate between respondent and operant extinction
Similarities
Reduces frequency of responding § As a result of disrupting events that occurred contiguously in the environment
Differences
The type of response that is disrupted § The type of disruption that occurs
Gretchen wants to increase the value of praise for a young child with autism, so she repeatedly pairs praise with an edible item that is a known reinforcer.
What type of conditioning procedure is Gretchen using?
Respondent
Differentiate between extinction and other behavior-reduction procedures
. Differentiate between the process and procedures of extinction
Comparing Extinction to Punishment qAlike: § Reduces rate of responding qDifferent: § Doesn’t involve response-dependent stimulus change
Process versus Procedure of Extinction
Process: §
Behavioral mechanism §
Evident in reduction of response rate following break in response-reinforcer relation q
Procedure: §
Extinction will look very different procedurally depending on the function of behavior
§ Remember: the procedure MUST be linked to function § Regardless, will involve no dependency between response and reinforcer
Describe how extinction can be used in combination with reinforcement
Extinction should be used in combination with reinforcement procedures to ensure that you are building a replacement response.
q Extinction forms the backbone of differential reinforcement procedures.
§ But, can be difficult for caregivers to consistently implement § Ensure contingencies favor prosocial
q Shortly thereafter, Gretchen uses praise as a consequence for correct responding in her discrete-trial sessions. She no longer uses edible items. What is likely to happen?
Both respondent and operant extinction
Which of the following is MOST important when implementing operant extinction to reduce behavior?
Matching the extinction procedure to the behavioral function
qImplementing extinction a. Identify when intervention effects are likely due to extinction
Describe reasons other than extinction that a differential reinforcement intervention might work
qExtinction isn’t just about response reduction! qExtinction is known to generate several different kinds of behavior.
Describe response-generating effects of extinction i. List four ii. Describe ways to plan for each negative side effect
These response-generative effects are typically considered side effects of extinction. qThey include: § Aggression § Emotional outbursts § Response variation § Treatment relapse § Also known as “extinction bursts”
The graph below shows data from baseline and a DRA intervention for a client with a behavioral disorder. Is the reduction in screaming due to extinction?
No, unlikely
Including extinction and reinforcement of an alternative behavior in a treatment package will reduce the probability of an extinction burst
. True
Planning for Extinction Bursts
q Including other treatment procedures with extinction may reduce the likelihood of bursting.
q Gradually thin the schedule to reduce the likelihood of extinction bursts later in treatment.
q Warn caregivers that behavior “often gets worse before it gets better.”
q Use role-play and coaching to train parents to appropriately implement procedures that include extinction to improve initial treatment integrity.