Unit 8 Flashcards
Functional Behavior Assessment
- Gathering information to generate hypotheses about the relations among specific types of environmental events & behaviors
- Indirect
- Descriptive
- Functional analysis
Functional Analysis
*Compare rates of bx in control condition (play) to test conditions
- Common test conditions:
- Demand
- Attention
- Alone
- Tangibles
In a functional analysis, a behavior analyst compares the rates of responding in which conditions?
“Test and Control Conditions”
Assessment-Intervention Link
*Identification of the function can directly guide treatment & “maybe more effective than those selected without consideration of behavioral function”
The function of a problem behavior cannot be assumed based on topography.
a. True
b. False
a. True
Explain a benefit of identifying the function of problem behavior:
“Identifying the function of Problem Bx can directly guide treatment”
Function-Based Treatment
- What makes a treatment function based?
* How do function-based treatments operate on bx?
Function-Based Treatment (Con…t)
- A function-based treatment directly addresses the identified function of the bx
- Alters some aspect of the 4-term contingency
- Does not rely on superimposing other contingencies on the existing maintaining contingencies
How Function-Based Treatments Work
- Eliminating the reinforcement contingency
- Extinction
- Altering the MO
- Noncontingent Rx (NCR)
- Establishing a new bx with the Rx contingency
- Functional communication training (FCT)
“Function-based” treatment focuses on the identified function as the basis for treatment, but also requires adjusting interventions based on the individual.
a. True
b. False
a. True
Function-Based Interventions
- Interventions for Bx maintained by:
- Social positive reinforcement
- Social negative reinforcement
- Automatic reinforcement
- Strengths & weaknesses
- Decision models
Common Treatment Elements
- Arranging the delivery of relevant reinforcers through other means
- E.g. differential Rx, noncontingent Rx
- Disrupting the response-reinforcer contingency for prob bx
- E.g Extinction
Common Treatments
- Common treatments for social positive Rx:
1. Extinction (EXT)
2. Differential positive Rx
3. Noncontingent Rx (NCR)
Describe two common elements used in function-based treatment:
“Disrupt response-reinforcer contingencies for problem behavior and arrange for reinforcers through other means”
Extinction as a Process
- A decrease in the probability of a response class following the discontinuation of the response-reinforcer contingency
- Requires
- Knowledge of Function of bx
- Ability to withhold the reinforcer
Extinction as a Procedure
- Procedural variation of EXT matters (Iwata, Pace, Cowdery & Miltenberger 1994)
- EXT of problem Bx maintained by positive RX:
- Withholding the reinforcer (attention or tangible stimuli) following the occurrence of prob bx
Withholding attention is the most effective way to apply extinction for problem behavior maintained by social positive reinforcement.
Extinction of prob bx maintained by social positive reinforcement involves withholding the stimulus that has reinforced that behavior in the past. The stimulus withheld can be attention from others if the behavior is maintained by access to attention, or a tangible item if the behavior is maintained by access to a tangible.
How does extinction for behavior maintained by tangible items differ from extinction for behavior maintained by attention?
Extinction for behavior maintained by tangible items involves withholding the items, while extinction for behavior maintained by attention involves withholding attention
Differential Reinforcement
- Reinforcing 1 response while withholding reinforcers for another
- May not always include EXT component
- Varying forms:
- DRO
- DRA
DRO
- Deliver reinforcer contingent on the nonconcurrence of response following predetermined time interval, while eliminating contingency btw prob bx & its maintaining consequence
- Initial interval length, Varies, often mean IRT
- Procedural variations (Vollmer & Iwata, 1992)
- Fixed, variable or escalating intervals
- Resetting or non-resetting DRO
- Whole-interval DRO or momentary DRO
- Functional or arbitrary reinforcer
DRA
- Deliver reinforcer contingent on appropriate alternative response, usually while withholding the reinforcer following prob bx
- Functional communication training (FCT): Common variation of DRA consisting of delivering the functional reinforcer contingent on communicative response
NCR
- Response-independent or time-based delivery of reinforcer
- Initial schedule: Can be continuous, latency to 1st prob bx or mean IRT
- Typically involves 3 components:
- Reinforcer delivery on a fixed-time schedule
- EXT for prob bx
- Schedule thinning
- Functional or arbitrary reinforcer
Identify the weaknesses of an extinction of SR+ procedure:
check all that apply
- Bx may get worse before it improves
- Restricts access to reinforcement
- Requires a high level of integrity
Identify the weaknesses of a DRO for SR+ procedure:
check all that apply
- Functional replacement skills are not taught
2. Requires a high level of integrity