摘要:

A choice assessment has been found to be a more accurate method of identifying preferences than is single‐item presentation. However, it is not clear whether the effectiveness of reinforcement varies positively with the degree of preference (i.e., whether the relative preference based on the results of a choice assessment predicts relative reinforcer effectiveness). In the current study, we attempted to address this question by categorizing stimuli as high, middle, and low preference based on the results of a choice assessment, and then comparing the reinforcing effectiveness of these stimuli using a concurrent operants paradigm. High‐preference stimuli consistently functioned as reinforcers for all 4 clients. Middle‐preference stimuli functioned as reinforcers for 2 clients, but only when compared with low‐preference stimuli. Low‐preference stimuli did not function as reinforcers when compared to high‐ and middle‐preference stimuli. These results suggest that a choice assessment can be used to predict the relative reinforcing value of various stimuli, which, in turn, may help to improve programs for clients with severe to profound

ISSN:0021-8855    

DOI:10.1901/jaba.1996.29-1

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Students with learning difficulties participated in two studies that analyzed the effects of problem difficulty and reinforcer quality upon time allocated to two sets of arithmetic problems reinforced according to a concurrent variable‐interval 30‐s variable‐interval 120‐s schedule. In Study 1, high‐ and low‐difficulty arithmetic problems were systematically combined with rich and lean concurrent schedules (nickels used as reinforcers) across conditions using a single‐subject design. The pairing of the high‐difficulty problems with the richer schedule failed to offset time allocated to that alternative. Study 2 investigated the interactive effects of problem difficulty and reinforcer quality (nickels vs. program money) upon time allocation to arithmetic problems maintained by the concurrent schedules of reinforcement. Unlike problem difficulty, the pairing of the lesser quality reinforcer (program money) with the richer schedule reduced the time allocated to that alternative. The magnitude of this effect was greatest when combined with the low‐difficulty problems. These studies have important implications for a matching law analysis of asymmetrical reinforcement variables that influenc

ISSN:0021-8855    

DOI:10.1901/jaba.1996.29-11

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Computer‐based instruction may yield widely useful handwritten spelling. Illustrative cases involved individuals with mental retardation and hearing impairments. The participant in Study 1 matched computer pictures and printed words to one another but did not spell the words to pictures. Spelling was then taught using a computerized procedure. In general, increases in the accuracy of computer spelling were accompanied by improvements in written spelling to pictures. Study 2 extended these results with a 2nd participant. After initial training, spelling improved in the context of a retrieval task in which the participant (a) wrote a list of the names of objects displayed on a table, (b) selected the objects from a shelf, and (c) returned the objects to the table. Nearly perfect accuracy scores declined on some retrieval trials conducted without a list, suggesting that the list may have served a mediating function during retrieval. Transfer of stimulus control of computer‐based teaching to the retrieval task may have been attributable to the existence of stimulus classes involving pictures, objects, and printed wo

ISSN:0021-8855    

DOI:10.1901/jaba.1996.29-25

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Research has shown that noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) can be an effective behavior‐reduction procedure when based on a functional analysis. The effects of NCR may be a result of elimination of the contingency between aberrant behavior and reinforcing consequences (extinction) or frequent and free access to reinforcers that may reduce the participant's motivation to engage in aberrant behaviors or mands. If motivation is momentarily reduced, behavior such as mands may not be sensitive to positive reinforcement. In this study, for 3 children with aberrant behavior maintained by tangible positive reinforcement, differential‐reinforcement‐of‐alternative‐behavior schedules were superimposed on NCR schedules to determine if mands could be strengthened. Results for the participants indicated that NCR did not preclude reinforcement

ISSN:0021-8855    

DOI:10.1901/jaba.1996.29-43

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Peer models (classmates without disabilities) who were proficient in performing a task completed one response chain each day and described the steps they performed while their classmates with disabilities observed. Three students with disabilities participated, and their performance of the response chains was assessed immediately prior to and following the peer modeling each day. A multiple probe design across response chains, replicated across children with disabilities, was used. In addition, participation and social interactions of children with disabilities and their peer models were assessed in classroom activities after daily modeling sessions. The results indicate that the peer models performed the response chains accurately and quickly, and students with disabilities acquired the response chains. Across the study, participation in classroom activities was high, social interactions were low, and neither was affected by the peer modeling intervention.

ISSN:0021-8855    

DOI:10.1901/jaba.1996.29-53

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

In this study we attempted to operationalize, measure, and increase happiness among people with profound disabilities. Happiness indices were defined and observed among 5 individuals. Validation measures indicated that (a) increases in happiness indices were observed when individuals were presented with most preferred stimuli relative to least preferred stimuli, (b) increases in unhappiness indices were observed when they were presented with least preferred relative to most preferred stimuli, and (c) practitioner ratings of participant happiness coincided with observed indices. Subsequently, classroom staff increased happiness indices through presentation and contingent withdrawal of activities. Results suggested that a behavioral approach can enhance happiness as one aspect of quality of life among people with profound disabilities. Research directions are offered that focus on using a behavioral approach to investigate other private events that are important among people with disabilities.

ISSN:0021-8855    

DOI:10.1901/jaba.1996.29-67

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

We present 2 case examples that illustrate the effects of meal schedule and quantity on displays of problematic behavior. In the first example, self‐injury displayed by a toddler with severe developmental delays was maintained by parent attention, but only when he was satiated for food. When he was food deprived, self‐injury decreased but did not appear to be differentiated across low or high social conditions. In the second example, crying and self‐injury displayed by an elementary‐aged girl with severe disabilities were correlated: Both behaviors were associated with food quantity, and neither behavior was responsive to social stimuli. These results replicate and extend previous findings demonstrating that meal schedule or food quantity can affect problematic behavior. In the present studies, brief functional analyses of aberrant behavior provided useful information for interpreting distinct patterns of behavior displayed by each child. We discuss these results in terms of the concept of establishing ope

ISSN:0021-8855    

DOI:10.1901/jaba.1996.29-79

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0021-8855    

DOI:10.1901/jaba.1996.29-93

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Many individuals who engage in self‐injurious behavior (SIB) also exhibit self‐restraint. We compared rates of SIB exhibited by a 32‐year‐old woman diagnosed with profound retardation across conditions in which access to restraint was (a) continuously available, (b) presented as a consequence for SIB, or (c) unavailable. Rates of SIB increased when access to restraint was contingent upon SIB and decreased when restraint was unavailable, suggesting that self‐restraint functioned as positive reinforcemen

ISSN:0021-8855    

DOI:10.1901/jaba.1996.29-99

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

It has been suggested that self‐restraint, a phenomenon often correlated with self‐injurious behavior (SIB), may be maintained by negative reinforcement in the form of escape from the aversive properties of SIB (e.g., pain). We examined the effects of blocking SIB (and presumably removing any aversive effects) on the self‐restraint of a 19‐year‐old male with severe mental retardation. Consistent with the negative reinforcement hypothesis, blocking SIB resulted in near‐zero levels of SIB and moderate reductions in sel

ISSN:0021-8855    

DOI:10.1901/jaba.1996.29-103

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY