Claire C. St. Peter

Effects of fixed-time reinforcement schedules on resurgence of problem behavior.

Resurgence of problem behavior following the discontinuation of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) may be prevented by response-independent reinforcer delivery. In basic research, response-independent reinforcer delivery following DRA prevented resurgence of the initially reinforced response and maintained alternative responding (Lieving & Lattal, 2003, Experiment 3). We evaluated the generality of these results by assessing if fixed-time (FT) reinforcer delivery following DRA would prevent resurgence of problem behavior and maintain appropriate behavior with 4 children with disabilities. For all participants, extinction following DRA produced resurgence of previously reinforced problem behavior and reduced appropriate requests, but FT reinforcer delivery following DRA mitigated resurgence of problem behavior and maintained appropriate requests.

A comparison of error‐correction procedures on skill acquisition during discrete‐trial instruction

Previous research supports the use of a variety of error-correction procedures to facilitate skill acquisition during discrete-trial instruction. We used an adapted alternating treatments design to compare the effects of 4 commonly used error-correction procedures on skill acquisition for 2 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and 3 children with autism spectrum disorder. For all participants, multiple error-correction procedures were effective; however, 1 or 2 specific error-correction procedures led to more efficient skill acquisition for each individual. These results highlight the importance of evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of error-correction procedures for individual learners during discrete-trial instruction. We discuss the use of discrete-trial instruction with different populations, implications for using multiple measures of procedural efficiency, and several areas for future research.

Preference for blocking or response redirection during stereotypy treatment

Response redirection and response blocking reduce stereotypy maintained by automatic reinforcement. The current study evaluated the effects of redirection and response blocking on the stereotypic responding of three elementary-age children diagnosed with autism. During the treatment evaluation, redirection and response blocking were evaluated using an alternating treatment embedded in a reversal design. Both procedures resulted in comparably low levels of motor stereotypy. Following treatment evaluation, a concurrent chain was conducted to evaluate participant preference for redirection or response blocking. All three participants preferred redirection. Practitioners may wish to consider participant preference when developing and implementing treatments for stereotypy.

Functional Analysis With Typically Developing Children: Best Practice or Too Early to Tell?: In Response to Hanley (2012)

Hanley (2012) provided a guide to practitioners and researchers in the conduct of functional assessment for problem behavior, citing a body of empirical work to support his view. Much of the work Hanley drew upon was conducted with individuals with developmental delay in hospitals or outpatient clinic settings. In this paper, we argue that the guidelines he put forth are not necessarily applicable to work in schools or with typically developing individuals. We examine the evidence supporting use of functional analysis with typically developing children, emphasizing school-based consultation, and conclude by recommending a tiered assessment approach from least to most intensive based on the needs of the individual child.

Reduction of biting and chewing of horses using differential reinforcement of other behavior

Biting and chewing by horses on crossties can result in injury to the handler and damage to equipment. Operant-conditioning techniques have been used to train horses and could be used to reduce or eliminate undesirable biting and chewing. Presently, a differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO) schedule, in the context of a reversal design, was effective in reducing biting and chewing in two horses. In DRO schedules, a reinforcer is delivered contingent on the absence of a target behavior for a specified interval. Positive-reinforcement procedures offer an alternative to aversive-control techniques typically used in equine training and may provide for better equine welfare and horse-human interaction.

Changing Course through Collaboration

I agree with Vyses (2013) argument that becoming more mainstream will require openness to new methods and a careful examination of how the next generation of scientists is to be trained. However, I do not believe that turning away from behavior analysis to become a generalist is the answer, nor do I think that sufficient action can be taken by any individual scientist. To achieve the most mainstream relevance, we must take systemic action by increasing our connections and collaborations with others. We must seek out individuals from other perspectives and listen to what they have to say, integrate between- and within-subject designs, and train the next generation of behavior-analytic scientists to be collaborative specialists. We can act in these ways without turning away from behavior analysis as a discipline.

IMPROVING ACCURACY OF SLEEP SELF- REPORTS THROUGH CORRESPONDENCE TRAINING

Sleep insufficiency is a major public health concern, yet the accuracy of selfreported sleep measures is often poor. Self-report may be useful when direct measurement of nonverbal behavior is impossible, infeasible, or undesirable, as it may be with sleep measurement. We used feedback and positive reinforcement within a small-n multiple-baseline design to improve the accuracy with which young adults reported the amount of time they spent awake during sleep hours. Feedback and contingent money resulted in improved accuracy of self-reports but no change in overall time spent awake.

Evaluation of treatment integrity errors on mand acquisition

Manding allows individuals to access reinforcers in their environment. Caregivers may not implement mand-training programs as designed, which could result in decreased mand proficiency. This study evaluated the effects of delivery of the incorrect item (Experiment 1) and response-independent item delivery (Experiment 2) across 4 levels of treatment integrity (0%, 40%, 70%, and 100%) on mand acquisition with individuals with developmental disabilities. During Experiment 1, 2 of the 3 participants acquired the mand fastest during 100% integrity. Delivery of the incorrect item was detrimental to acquisition, but effects were idiosyncratic. During Experiment 2, all participants acquired the mand trained with 100% integrity fastest, followed by the mand trained with 70% integrity. None of the participants acquired the mands trained with 40% and 0% integrity, suggesting that delivery of the item independent of responding was detrimental to acquisition. For mand training to be most effective, caregivers must implement mand training with high levels of integrity.

Effects of treatment-integrity failures on a response-cost procedure.

Effects of incorrect or partial implementation (poor treatment integrity) on response cost are largely unknown. We evaluated reduced treatment integrity during response cost on rates of 2 concurrently available responses. College students earned points by clicking on either a black circle or a red circle on a computer screen. Experiment 1 compared 2 types of treatment-integrity failures (omission and commission errors) across 2 levels of integrity (20% and 50%). Compared to 100% integrity conditions, omission errors did not suppress responding to the same extent, and commission errors reduced target responding but also decreased rates of alternative behavior. Experiment 2 compared the effects of 20% and 50% omission errors within subjects. Implementation at 50% integrity adequately suppressed responding, but treatment effects were lost at 20% integrity. There may be a critical level at which response cost must be implemented to suppress responding, which has important implications for application.

Methods for Assessing Social Validity of Behavioral Intervention Plans for Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Although behavioral interventions are powerful tools for parents and teachers, they are unlikely to result in lasting change if the intervention agents find them unacceptable. After developing effective behavior intervention plans for classroom use, we compared social validity of those interventions using three measures: concurrent-chains selections from the intervention consumer (students), verbal report of the intervention agent (teachers), and maintenance of the intervention over time. All three measures of social validity identified an intervention that was acceptable to the intervention consumer and intervention delivery agent. These findings are discussed in terms of applied implications for assessing social validity.