Chapter 7 of 914% of exam

Behavior-Change Procedures

Domain G is the largest in the outline and covers the procedures themselves: reinforcement and differential reinforcement, prompting and fading, shaping and chaining, group contingencies, generalization and maintenance, and punishment. Items usually describe a procedure and ask you to name it or to pick the better design.

Reinforcement-based procedures

Differential reinforcement reduces problem behavior by reinforcing something else, or a lower rate; time-based schedules deliver reinforcers independent of behavior. Each is usually selected on the basis of the function identified in assessment. They reflect the Code's priority on positive reinforcement.

DRA and FCT

Reinforce an alternative, often communicative, response that produces the same reinforcer as the problem behavior.

Carr & Durand, JABA 18 (1985)

DRO

Reinforce the absence of the target behavior for an interval.

Reynolds, JEAB 4 (1961)

DRL

Reinforce the behavior when it occurs at or below a set rate, to lower but not eliminate it.

Deitz & Repp, JABA 6 (1973)

Fixed-time schedules

Deliver the reinforcer on a time schedule regardless of behavior (noncontingent reinforcement).

Vollmer et al., JABA 26 (1993)

Token systems

Tokens gain value through exchange for backup reinforcers.

Ayllon & Azrin, The Token Economy (1968)

Teaching new behavior

Prompts get a response to occur; fading transfers control to the natural stimulus. Shaping builds new forms of a response, and chaining links steps into sequences. Each procedure should include a plan for removing prompts.

Prompt hierarchies

Most-to-least starts with high assistance to limit errors; least-to-most starts with the learner's independent attempt.

Libby et al., Behavior Analysis in Practice 1 (2008)

Prompt delay and stimulus fading

Insert a delay before the prompt, or gradually change a physical dimension of a stimulus prompt until it is gone.

Snell & Gast (1981); Terrace, JEAB 6 (1963)

Shaping

Reinforce successive approximations, placing earlier forms on extinction.

Skinner, Science and Human Behavior (1953)

Chaining

Forward, backward (last step first) and total-task methods for teaching sequences.

BACB BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.) G.12

Trial-based and free-operant teaching

Adult-led discrete trials versus learner-initiated teaching such as incidental teaching.

Hart & Risley, JABA 8 (1975)

Groups, generalization and maintenance

Group contingencies set rules for how a group earns reinforcement. Generalization and maintenance are planned rather than expected. Maintenance planning includes moving to naturally occurring reinforcers.

Group contingencies

Independent, dependent and interdependent arrangements.

Litow & Pumroy, JABA 8 (1975)

Generalization tactics

Train sufficient exemplars, program common stimuli, train loosely, use natural maintaining contingencies, among others.

Stokes & Baer, JABA 10 (1977)

Schedule thinning after FCT

Thin reinforcement gradually, for example with signaled periods when requests will and will not be reinforced.

Hanley, Iwata & Thompson, JABA 34 (2001)

Punishment and side effects

Punishment procedures include time-out, response cost and overcorrection. Both punishment and extinction can produce emotional and elicited effects that a plan must anticipate. The Ethics Code limits when punishment-based procedures may be recommended.

Time-out depends on time-in

If the setting left is aversive, removal can reinforce the behavior by escape.

Solnick, Rincover & Peterson, JABA 10 (1977)

Overcorrection

Restitutional overcorrection restores the environment to better than before; positive practice repeats the correct behavior.

Foxx & Azrin, Behaviour Research and Therapy 10 (1972)

Extinction side effects

Temporary increases (bursts) and aggression can occur early in extinction.

Lerman, Iwata & Wallace, JABA 32 (1999)

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