Singlecase Analysis of the Effects of Concurrent Schedules of Reinforcement on Problem Behavior, Req

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Single-case Analysis of the Effects of Concurrent
Schedules of Reinforcement on Problem Behavior,
Requests for Breaks, and Work Choices

• Stephanie M. Peterson, Ph.D., BCBA
• Presentation for Institute of Education Sciences
• June, 2008

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General Information

• Institute of Education Sciences
• Serious Behavior Disorders Competition
• Goal 2 Develop a new intervention
• Award R324B060013
• 515,384 over 3 years
• August, 2006 - July, 2009

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A Big Thank You to MyResearch Staff

• Project Coordinator
• Jessica Frieder, M.A., BCBA
• Graduate Research Assistants
• Shawn Quigley
• Shilo Smith
• Carrie Brower-Breitweiser, M.A.
• Volunteers
• Pete Molino, M.A., BCBA
• Heath Ivers
• Stuart Mullins
• Sally Huskinson

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Functions of Problem Behavior

• Socially-mediated Functions
• Gain (positive reinforcement get attention,
  tangibles)
• Escape (negative reinforcement get out of
  difficult tasks, nonpreferred activities)
• Non-socially-mediated Functions
• Gain (positive automatic reinforcement get
  sensory stimulation)
• Escape (negative automatic reinforcement get
  out of sensory stimulation)

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Escape-motivated Problem Behavior

• Most common motivation for problem behavior in
  individuals with developmental disabilities
  (Derby et al., 1992 Iwata et al., 1994)

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Potential Treatments for Escape-motivated Problem
Behavior

• Eliminate task demands altogether
• Most obvious and direct treatment (Smith Iwata,
  1997)
• Limits skill development
• Functional communication training (FCT)
• Teaches a new skill (communication) and
  effectively reduces problem behavior (Carr
  Durand, 1985 Derby et al., 1997 Durand Carr,
  1991 Marcus Vollmer, 1995)
• Often results in escaping tasks altogether
  (Marcus Vollmer, 1995)

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Potential Treatments for Escape-motivated Problem
Behavior

• Englemann Colvin (1985)
• Responding to instructional requests is critical
  foundational-level skill for completing
  higher-level instructional tasks
• Interventions are needed that teach individuals
  to complete instructional tasks rather than
  eliminating task demands

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Potential Treatments for Escape-motivated Problem
Behavior

• Stimulus Fading/DRA
• Initially decrease task demands and slowly
  increase them over time
• Reinforcement (task breaks) provided for task
  completion
• Extinction (withholding breaks) for problem
  behavior
• Can be effective in decreasing problem behavior
  and increasing task compliance
• Bursts of problem behavior often occur as task
  demands increase (Lalli, Casey, Kates, 1995
  Zarcone et al., 1994)

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A New Intervention is Needed

• Intervention that capitalizes on the strengths of
• FCT rapid and reliable decreases in problem
  behavior
• Stimulus fading encourages task completion
• Intervention that ameliorates the negative
  effects of
• FCT allows continuous escape
• Stimulus fading requires the use of extinction
  due to extinction bursts

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A New Intervention is Needed

• Combine FCT and Stimulus Fading while
  simultaneously eliminating Extinction
• First, teach communicative response
• Reduce task demands
• Slowly increase task demands while also allowing
  break requests
• Problem behavior continues to produce
  reinforcement (task breaks)
• This creates a three-choice context Task
  compliance, break request, problem behavior

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Choice Context
Prompt to complete a difficult task
Mand
Complete Task
Problem Behavior
All produce reinforcement break
How can we bias responding in favor of task
completion?
How can we bias responding in favor of mands?
How can we bias responding away from problem
behavior?
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Factors That Influence Choices

• Schedule of reinforcement
• Delay to reinforcement
• Effort to obtain reinforcement
• Quality of reinforcement

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Research on Choice Making

• Research on competing schedules of reinforcement
  as treatment for problem behavior
• Peck et al. (1996)
• Higher quality reinforcement for communication
  responses effectively competed with lower quality
  reinforcement for problem behavior
• Extensions by Piazza et al. (1997) and Harding et
  al. (1999)
• Supports the use of choice making as part of
  treatment for escape-motivated problem behavior

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Research on Choice Making

• Most, if not all, research on competing schedules
  of reinforcement involves choices between two
  responses
• Two sets of math problems (Mace et al. 1994 Neef
  et al., 1992 Neef et al., 1994)
• Communication responses vs. problem behavior
  (Horner Day, 1991 Peck et al., 1996)
• Work completion vs. problem behavior (Hoch et
  al., 2002 Lalli et al., 1999)

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Research Question 1

• When compliance to task requests, mands, and
  problem behavior are concurrently available
  response alternatives, will providing different
  reinforcement qualities for each response
  alternative bias responding in favor of the
  adaptive response alternatives?

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Research Question 2

• Given that various dimensions of reinforcement
  can be arranged to increase adaptive responding
  (e.g., task compliance, mands) over problem
  behavior, are there differential effects of
  stimulus fading when only 2 response options
  receive reinforcement (i.e., compliance and
  problem behavior) versus when 3 response options
  receive reinforcement (i.e., compliance, mands,
  and problem behavior)?

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Research Sites/Participants

• Research Sites
• Three school districts in Idaho
• One rural, high Hispanic population
• Two urban
• Participants
• 12-18 participants per year across the three
  research sites
• K-6 grades 6-12 years of age
• Disabilities and chronic and significant problem
  behavior

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Dependent Variables and Measurement

• Choices (Event recording)
• First behavior that occurs after a choice
  opportunity (i.e., Time to work. What do you
  want to do?)
• Touch work or break card
• Engage in problem behavior
• Session Problem behavior (10-s interval)
• Defined individually for each participant
• Aggression
• Noncompliance
• Destruction
• Self-injurious behavior
• Task engagement (10-s interval)
• Looking at, manipulating task materials
• Looking at experimenter while giving instructions

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Case Example Damon

• 8 years old
• Diagnosed with mental disability
• Limited verbal abilities
• Problem behaviors leaving the task area, verbal
  refusals to complete work, destruction of
  materials (e.g., ripping paper, throwing
  pencils), aggression (e.g., hitting)

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Preliminary Assessments

• Functional Behavior Analysis
• Interview
• Observations of classroom routine
• Experimental functional analysis
• Escape must be at least one function of problem
  behavior

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Preliminary Assessments

• Functional Communication Training
• Teach participants to touch a card to request a
  break
• Participants must demonstrate 100 independence
  with break card touching and less than 10
  problem behavior

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Choice Analysis

• Research Question 1
• When compliance to task requests, mands, and
  problem behavior are concurrently available
  response alternatives, will providing different
  reinforcement qualities for each response
  alternative bias responding in favor of the
  adaptive response alternatives?

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Choice Analysis
Prompt to complete a difficult task
Mand
Complete Task
Problem Behavior
Medium Quality/Duration (30 s) Break
Highest Quality/Duration (1 min) Break
Lowest Quality/Duration (10 s) Break
Highest Probability
Lowest Probability
Moderate Probability
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Stimulus Fading Analysis

• Research Question 2
• Given that various dimensions of reinforcement
  can be arranged to increase adaptive responding
  (e.g., task compliance, mands) over problem
  behavior, are there differential effects of
  stimulus fading when only 2 response options
  receive reinforcement (i.e., compliance and
  problem behavior) versus when 3 response options
  receive reinforcement (i.e., compliance, mands,
  and problem behavior)?

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Stimulus Fading 2-Choice
Prompt to complete a difficult task
Complete Increasingly Difficult Task
Problem Behavior
Highest Quality/Duration (1 min) Break
Lowest Quality/Duration (10 s) Break
Highest Probability?
Lowest Probability?
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Stimulus Fading Analysis
Prompt to complete a difficult task
Complete Increasingly Difficult Task
Problem Behavior
Mand
Medium Quality/Duration (30 s) Break
Highest Quality/Duration (1 min) Break
Lowest Quality/Duration (10 s) Break
Highest Probability?
Lowest Probability?
Moderate Probability?
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Summary Question 1

• Participants choices are sensitive to varying
  qualities of reinforcement in context of three
  choices
• Work
• Break
• Problem behavior
• When they dont have to actually complete work

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Summary Question 2

• As task requirements increase, choices shift
• More break choices
• More problem behavior choices, but not many
• Results are inconsistent
• Gives rise to new questions
• Do we need to increase reinforcement for work
  choice as task requirements increase?
• Does everyone need 3-choice
• How can we predict who needs the 3-choice
  intervention?
• Sequence effects?

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Contact Information

• For more information, contact
• Stephanie M. Peterson, Ph.D., BCBA
• Peteste4_at_isu.edu
• 208-282-3552
• Thank you for your attention!