Week 6 - Fading, Chaining, Assessment And Extinction

Question 1

What is successive discrimination?

Answer 1

A procedure used to train differential responding by alternating a Sd and a S-delta

Relies on extinction and generalization

Question 2

What is fading?

“Errorless learning”

Answer 2

Transferring the control of one antecedent stimulus (S1) to another stimulus (S2) by gradually eliminating S1 in the presence of S2

Textbook: The gradual elimination of the prompt as the behaviour
continues to occur in the presence of the SD (poor definition)

Produces little to NO generalization effects

Better than ‘trial and error’ methods

Question 3

What are the 4 response prompts?

Answer 3

1) verbal

2) gestural (gesture)

3) modelling

4) physical (physically assists)

Question 4

What are the 2 stimulus prompts?

Answer 4

1) within-stimulus prompt (aspect/dimension stimulus is CHANGED)

2) extra-stimulus prompt (separate stimulus is added to AID discrimination)

Question 5

What are the 2 types of fading?

Answer 5

1) prompt/stimulus fading (gradually removing the prompt/stimulus…)

2) prompt delay (gradually delaying the delivery of the prompt…)

——> in the presence of the new sD being established

Question 6

What is a behavioural chain?

Answer 6

A specific sequence of discrete responses each associated with a specific stimulus condition

Ex) how to wash your hands poster

1. SD1 (pack of gum in your pocket) ➔R1 (reach into your pocket)
2. SD2 (hand in your pocket) ➔R2 (pull out the pack of gum)
3. SD3 (pack of gum in your hand) ➔R3 (pull out a single stick of gum)
4. SD4 (stick of gum in hand) ➔R4 (unwrap stick of gum)
5. SD5 (unwrapped gum in hand) ➔R5 (put gum in mouth) ➔SR+ (chew gum)

Question 7

What is task analysis?

Answer 7

BREAKING DOWN a task into its component elements

Establishing the discriminative stimuli (sD)…

Responses…

Reinforcers…

Question 8

What is forward chaining?

Answer 8

1. Reinforce after performance of first two components.
   • Repeat until behaviour is performed reliably.
2. Reinforce after complete performance of first three components.
   • Repeat until reliable.
3. Reinforce after complete performance of first four components.
   • Repeat until reliable.
4. And so on . . .

Question 9

What is backward chaining?

Answer 9

1. Require performance of last two components & reinforce
   • Repeat until smooth and prompts have been faded.
2. Require performance with last three components & reinforce.
   • Repeat until smooth and prompts have been faded.
3. And so on . . .

(Back to front)

Question 10

True or false. If a learned chain is too long, responding may INCREASE over time due to…?

Answer 10

False

It’ll DECREASE

Weak conditional reinforcers
Weak terminal/primary reinforcers

Question 11

How do you make an efficient chain?

Answer 11

Stronger terminal reinforcer

SHORTEN the chain

Highlight natural rewards

Intermittently reinforce SMALLER sections of the chain

Question 12

What are variable chains?

Answer 12

Not all the same sequence

Train components OUT OF ORDER

FLEXIBLE problem-solving

Question 13

What is total-task presentation?

Answer 13

Use prompting to get the learner to perform the WHOLE chain from start to finish, then reinforce

Need to consider:
• Task complexity
• Learners ability
• Types of prompts
• Written prompts
• Picture prompts
• Modelling
• Self-Instructions
• Teachers ability

Question 14

What’s the functional assessment process?

Answer 14

1. Identify and define target behavior(s) that needs to be increased and/or decreased.
   • Indirect assessment (e.g. Interviews)
2. Initiate baseline data collection
3. Complete functional assessment
   • Hypothesize about antecedents and consequences
4. Develop and implement treatment
5. Evaluate
   • Effectiveness of treatment itself
   • Effectiveness of its implementation

Question 15

How do you evaluate?

Answer 15

What treatment effective?

YES—-> promote maintenance and generalization

NO—> first check treatment fidelity
- was treatment implemented correctly?

Question 16

Social positive reinforcement VS social negative reinforcement

Answer 16

COMES FROM OTHER INDIVIDUALS…

Social (+) —> attention and praise by others
Social (-) —> escape from tasks and interactions from others

Question 17

Automatic positive reinforcement VS autonomic negative reinforcement

Answer 17

REINFORCEMENT IS A NATURAL CONSEQUENCE OF THE BEHAVIOUR

Automatic (+) —-> sensory stim, enviro stimuli and events
Automatic (-) ——> relief from pain anxiety or other aversive stimuli

Question 18

What are the 3 functional assessment methods?

Answer 18

1) indirect (formative) assessment

2) direct observation assessment (descriptive A-B-C recording)

3) functional/experimental analysis

Question 19

What are some important considerations for using extinction?

Answer 19

1. Have you IDENTIFIED the reinforcer(s)?
   • Note: there may be more than one
2. Is it even possible to ELIMINATE the reinforcer(s)?
   • Reinforcer may be intrinsic to the behaviour
3. Is it SAFE to use extinction?
   • Emotional Responses
   • Extinction Bursts
   • Behavioural Variability
4. Can you apply extinction CONSISTENTLY
   • i.e. Can you prevent reinforcement every time the behaviour occurs?
   • If not, you may accidentally put the behaviour on an intermittent schedule
5. Do you have procedures to promote LONG-TERM maintenance?
   • Are there alternative/acceptable ways of getting the reinforcer?
   • Have you promoted generalization of the extinguished response?