Interventions Based on Operant Conditioning

Question 1

Increasing Behavior with Reinforcement

Answer 1

Positive reinforcement is relied on with most behavioral interventions.

Factors for positive reinforcement:

1. Contingency: must be a contingent relationship between the target behavior and the positive reinforcer. reinforcer shoujld be available only when the target behavior has been performed.
2. _Immediacy: _Maximize the benefits of positive reinforcement, the reinforcer should be delivered immediately after the target bx.
3. _Schedule of Reinforcement: _New behavior is most rapid when reinforcement is applied on a continuous schedule, while maintenance of the behavior (resistance to extinction) is maximized when the behavior is reinforced on an intermittent schedule.
   
   1. Best to start on continuous and change to intermittent once bx is well established.
   2. THINNING: process of reducing the proportion of reinforcements.
4. _Magnitude: _up to a point, the greater amount of positive reinforcement the greater effectiveness.
   
   1. SATIATION: past a certain point, the reinforcer has lost it value.
   2. primary reinforcers are more vulnerable to this than secondary (full of food). Continuous schedule more susceptible than intermittent to satiation.
5. _Verbal Clarification: _effectiveness of reinforcement is enhanced when contingent relationship between bx and reinforcement is verbally clarified (explicit).
6. _Prompts: _Verbal and Physical promps facilitate the acquisition of a new bx.
   
   1. dad ‘clean room’, boy cleans, ‘good job’
   2. reminder is discriminative stimulus that signals that praise will follow the behavior.
   3. FADING: gradual removal of a prompt

Question 2

SHAPING

CHAINING

Answer 2

SHAPING:

• target bx rarely or never occurs naturally
• reinforcing successive approximations to the desired behavior
• providing reinforcement only for behaviors that come closer and closer to the desired one.
• Lovaas…ASD talking process.
• focus on the final (terminal) behavior over time

CHAINING:

1. three-term contingency: discriminative stimulus-behavior-consequence, Skinner said behavior chains to acquisition of most complex behaviors.
2. establishment of a behavior chain (steps-distinct responses).
   
   1. Forward Chains: first compent in the chain and works through entire chain (make cake).
   2. Backwards Chains: components in the chain are established in the reverse order (simple model plane).
   3. entire sequence of responses is important in chaining.
   4. may need combo of shaping and chaining, shape used to establish each response in the behavior chain.

Question 3

Premack Principal

**Differential Reinforcement **

Answer 3

Premack Principal

1. a high probability behavior is used to reinforce a low probability behavior.
2. watch TV after HW; TV high probability bx is used to reinforce the low probability bx of HW.
3. asks, what do they already do and like?

**Differential Reinforcement: **

• Combines positive reinforcement with extinction and involves reinforcing alternative behaviors while ignoring the target behavior.
• Self-Stim hand flapping, give reinforcement for each two minutes she plays with toys w/no self-stim.
• toys is reinforced, self-stim is being extinguished.
• DRI: incompatible behaviors, DRA: alternative bx, DRO: other behaviors.

Question 4

Decreasing Behaviors with **Punishment **

Answer 4

Effectiveness of Punishment (apply or withhold a stimulus to decrease bx) influenced by:

1. Immediacy: sooner the better
2. Consistency: apply on a continuous schedule, follow each performance of the behavior
3. Intensity: initially applied in moderation.
   
   1. too strong likely to get avoidance, aggression or other undesirable behaviors.
   2. HABITUATION: initially punishing weakly and then gradually increasing its intensity leads to habituation (punishment loses effectiveness).
4. Verbal Clarification
5. Removal of All Positive Reinforcement: all stimuli that previously reinforced the behavior are identified and consistently withheld at the same time the behavior is being punished.
6. Reinforcement for Alternative Behaviors: punishment teaches what NOT to do, its effectiveness increases substantially when it’s combined with reinforcement for alternatives.
   
   1. must determine if undesired behaviors are due to skill deficit….must train before punishing.

Limitations to Punishments Effectiveness

• punishment does not actually eliminate a behavior but merely suppresses it.
• effects of punishment are often short-term, inconsistent, and limited to the specific situation in which the punishment is applied!
  
  • if i know i won’t be punished, then i can do the behavior again!
• negative side effects: fear, aggressiveness, negative emotions, escape/avoidance behaviors (lying, running away).

Question 5

Verbal Reprimands

Overcorrections

Answer 5

**Verbal Reprimands: **

1. NO/STOP: effects are inconsistent and can be positive reinforcers (attention) and increase the bx.
2. must be followed up consequences.

Overcorrections:

• Positive Punishment: applying a penalty following an undersirable behavior in order to eliminate it.
• Restitution: having the person correct any negative effects of behavior
• Positive Practice: person to practice more appropirate behaviors, usually in an exaggerated fashion.
• includes providing verbal instructions, constant supervision and guidance to correct bx.
• MR threw things and turn over beds: straighten entire room (restitution), practice more desireable bx such as making up all the beds on the floor (positive practice).

Question 6

Negative Practice

Response Cost

Answer 6

**Negative Practice **

• requiring the deliberate repeating of the undesirable bx to the point it becomes aversive/fatigued
• smoking, nail biting, hair pulling, pica, tics, stuttering.
• practice it: when you tic, tic again for next minute.

**Response Cost: **

1. application of negative punishment and involves removing a specific reinforcer each time the target bx is done (take away time or token/money)
2. late fees and fines are response costs.

Question 7

time-out from reinforcement

Answer 7

Time-Out (negative punishment):

• remove all sources of positive reinforcement for a brief, prespecified time following a behavior to decrease the behavior (negative punishment).
• not extinction as extinction entails continuous removal of a reinforcer from a perviously reinforced response, BUT time out does that for a specific time from all things, not just the ones that may be reinforcing the bx.

Evaluation:

1. duration not critical as short time-outs are as effectvie as longer ones…5-10 minutes best.
2. best if combined with reinforcement for alternative bx
3. Time-out should also begin with a short explanation of why it’s being applied.