Transcript Chapter 23 Antecedent Interventions

Chapter 23:
Antecedent Interventions
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Conceptual Understanding of
Antecedent Interventions
• Literature has classified all antecedentbased behavior change strategies under
single terms
– e.g. antecedent procedures, antecedent
control, antecedent manipulations, antecedent
interventions
– Using the same terms may cause confusion
or fail to recognize the different functions
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Conceptual Understanding of
Antecedent Interventions
• SD’s – evoke behavior due to past
correlation with increased availability of
reinforcement
• MO’s – increase current frequency of
behavior when an effective reinforcer is
not available
• Each has different implications for how
behavior change strategies should be
implemented and manipulated
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Classifying Functions of
Antecedent Stimuli
• Categories for functions of antecedent
stimuli
– Contingency dependent
– Contingency independent
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Classifying Functions of
Antecedent Stimuli
• Contingency dependent
– Antecedent event is dependent on the
consequences of behavior for developing
evocative & abative effects
– All stimulus control functions
– Referred to as antecedent control
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Classifying Functions of
Antecedent Stimuli
• Contingency independent
– Antecedent event is not dependent on the
consequences of behavior for developing
evocative & abative effects
– Antecedent itself affects behaviorconsequence relations
– MO’s are contingency independent
– Referred to as antecedent intervention
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Antecedent Intervention
• Antecedent interventions serve to have
abolishing operations
– Used in isolation or in combination (i.e. treatment
packages
– Decrease the effectiveness of reinforcers that maintain
problem behavior
• Effects of MO’s are temporary (Smith & Iwata,
1997)
– Will not produce permanent improvements in behavior
– Can be used simultaneously to reduce problem
behavior
– Most often antecedent interventions serve as a
component of treatment package
• Produce more maintaining effects
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Antecedent Intervention
• Interventions with established
experimental results
– Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR)
– High-probability request sequence
– Functional communication training (FCT)
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
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Noncontingent Reinforcement
• NCR is an antecedent intervention
• Stimuli with known reinforcing properties
are delivered on a fixed-time (FT) or
variable-time (VT) schedule independent
of the learner’s behavior (Vollmer et al.,
1993)
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Noncontingent Reinforcement
• May effectively decrease problem
behavior because reinforcers that maintain
the problem behavior are available freely
& frequently
• Functions as an abolishing operation (AO)
• Referred to as presenting stimuli with
known reinforcing properties
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Noncontingent Reinforcement
• Uses three distinct procedures that identify
& deliver stimuli with known reinforcing
properties
– Positive reinforcement
– Negative reinforcement
– Automatic reinforcement
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
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Noncontingent Reinforcement
• NCR with positive reinforcement
– Kahng, Iwata, Thompson, and Hanley (2000)
– Study demonstrated the use of positive
reinforcement (i.e. attention & food) for three
individuals with developmental disabilities as
an antecedent intervention to decrease
problem behaviors found during analysis to be
maintained by the positive reinforcement
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Noncontingent Reinforcement
• NCR with negative reinforcement
– Kodak, Miltenberger, and Romaniuk (2003)
– Study demonstrated the use of negative
reinforcment (i.e. break from instructional
requests) for two individuals with autism as an
antecedent intervention t decrease problem
behaviors found during analysis to be
maintained by negative reinforcement
– Increased participants’ compliance &
decreased problem behaviors
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Noncontingent Reinforcement
• NCR with automatic reinforcement
– Lindberg, Iwata, Roscoe, Worsdell, and Hanley
(2003)
– Study demonstrated the use of automatic
reinforcement (i.e. physical manipulation of highly
preferred leisure items) for two individuals with
profound mental retardation to decrease SIB found
during analysis to be maintained by automatic
reinforcement
– Demonstrated that NCR object manipulation could
compete with automatic reinforcement to reduce SIB
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Noncontingent Reinforcement
• Using NCR effectively
– Three key elements to enhance effectiveness
• Amount & quality of stimuli with known reinforcing
effectiveness of NCR
• Inclusion of extinction with NCR interventions
• Vary the available stimuli with NCR intervention to
reduce problems of changing preferences
– Proper utilization of information obtained
through FBA
• Correct identification of maintaining contingencies
of reinforcement
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Noncontingent Reinforcement
• Ringdahl, Vollmer, Borrero, and Connell
(2001)
– Study demonstrates the importance of the
schedule under which reinforcement is
delivered in NCR
– Similarities between baseline and initial NCR
may be ineffective
– Denser reinforcement (than during baseline)
during initial NCR ensures discrepancy &
better chances for intervention to be successful
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Noncontingent Reinforcement
• Ringdahl et al. (2001) suggest three
procedures for emphasizing reinforcement
during NCR intervention
– Increase the delivery of stimuli with known
reinforcing properties
– Use an obviously different schedule of
reinforcement at treatment onset
– Combine DRO with the NCR treatment
package
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Noncontingent Reinforcment
• Time schedules for NCR
– Typically most applications use a FT schedule
– Also can be done using a VT schedule
– Establishing the initial schedule is crucial &
can impact the overall effectiveness of the
intervention
– Recommendation is to start with a dense FT
or VT schedule
• Can be done arbitrarily
• More effective to base it on the number of
occurrences of problem behavior
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Noncontingent Reinforcement
• To determine the initial NCR schedule
– Divide the total duration of all baseline
sessions by the total number of occurrences
of the problem behavior (during baseline)
– Set the initial interval at or slightly below the
quotient
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Noncontingent Reinforcement
• Thinning the time-based schedules
– Completed by adding small time increments
to the NCR interval
– Best done after the initial NCR interval has
produced reduction in problem behavior
– Can be accomplished using three procedures
• Constant time increases
• Proportional time increases
• Session-to-session time increase or decrease
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Noncontingent Reinforcement
• Constant time increases
– Increase the FT or VT schedule intervals by
using a constant duration of time
– Decrease the amount of time the individual
has access to the SCR stimuli by a constant
duration of time
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Noncontingent Reinforcement
• Proportional time increase
– Increase the FT or VT schedule interval
proportionately
• Each time the schedule is increased by the same
amount of time
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Noncontingent Reinforcement
• Session-to-session time increase or
decrease
– Use the individual’s performance to change
the schedule interval on a session-to-session
basis
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Noncontingent Reinforcement
• Additional considerations for NCR
– Establish a terminal criteria
– Weigh the possible advantages against
possible disadvantages before deciding to
utilize NCR with any indivdual
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
High-Probability
Request Sequence
• Referred to as high-p request sequence
• Delivery of a high-p request sequence
involves
– Presentation of a series of easy-to-follow
requests for which the individual has a history
of compliance (i.e. high-p requests)
– When individual complies with several high-p
requests, provide individual with target
request (i.e. low-p)
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
High-Probability
Request Sequence
• Behavioral effects of high-p request sequence
suggests the abative effects of an AO by
– Reducing the value of reinforcement for noncompliance to low-p requests
– Reducing the aggression & self-injury typically
associated with low-p requests
• Provides non-aversive procedure for improving
compliance by diminishing escape-maintained
problem behaviors
• May decrease excessive slowness in
responding to requests & increase time used for
completing tasks
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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High-Probability
Request Sequence
• Apply the high-p request sequence by
– Selecting 2-5 short tasks with which the
individual has a history of compliance
– Present the high-p request sequence
immediately before requesting the target task
(i.e. low-p request)
– Present the low-p request following in the
same manner that all high-p requests were
presented
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
High-Probability
Request Sequence
• Engelmann and Colvin (1983)
– One of the first formal descriptions of high-p
request sequence
• Field has utilized a variety of terms to refer
to this intervention
– Interspersed requests (Horner et al., 1991)
– Pre-task requests (Singer et al., 1987)
– Behavioral momentum (Mace & Belfiore,
1990)
– Referred to by most as high-p request
sequence
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
High-Probability
Request Sequence
• Using high-p request sequence effectively
– Select from the current repertoire
– Present requests rapidly
– Acknowledge compliance
– Use potent reinforcers
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
High-Probability
Request Sequence
• Selecting from the current repertoire
– Behaviors selected for the high-p request
sequence should be:
• In the learner’s current repertoire
• Occur with regularity of compliance
• Have a very short duration of occurrence
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
High-Probability
Request Sequence
• Presenting requests rapidly
– High-p requests should be presented in rapid
succession with short inter-request intervals
– First low-p request should immediately follow
reinforcer for high-p compliance (Davis &
Reichle, 1996)
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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High-Probability
Request Sequence
• Acknowledging compliance
– Individual’s compliance should be
acknowledged immediately
– Use of praise
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
High-Probability
Request Sequence
• Use potent reinforcers
– Social praise may not be enough to increase
compliance if motivation for escape behavior
is high
– Use of high-quality positive stimuli
immediately following compliance may
increase effectiveness of the intervention
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Functional Communication Training
• FCT establishes an appropriate
communication behavior to compete with
problem behaviors evoked by an EO
• Develops alternative behaviors that are
sensitive to the EO’s (in contrast to NCR
and high-p request sequence)
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Functional Communication Training
• Application of DRA
– Develops alternative communication response an
antecedent to diminish problem behavior (Fisher et al.,
1998)
• Alternative response produces the reinforcer that
has maintained problem behavior (Durand &
Carr, 1992)
• Alternative response can take a variety of forms
–
–
–
–
–
–
Vocalizations
Signs
Communication boards
Words or picture cards
Vocal output systems
Gestures
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Functional Communication Training
• Carr and Durand (1985) defined FCT as a
two-step process
– Completing a functional behavior assessment
to identify the stimuli with known reinforcing
properties that maintain problem behavior
– Using those stimuli as reinforcers to develop
an alternative behavior to replace the problem
behavior
• Very effective for problem behavior
maintained by social attention
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Functional Communication Training
• FCT interventions typically
– Involve several behavior change strategies in
addition to teaching the alternative
communication response
•
•
•
•
•
•
Response prompting
Time-out
Physical restraint
Response blocking
Redirection
Extinction of problem behavior
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved
Functional Communication Training
• Effective use of FCT includes
– Dense schedules of reinforcement
– Decreased use of verbal prompts
– Behavior reduction procedures
– Schedule thinning
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Functional Communication Training
• Dense schedules of reinforcement
– Alternative communication response should
produce the reinforcers that maintain the
problem behavior on a continuous schedule of
reinforcement at first
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Functional Communication Training
• Decreased use of verbal prompts
– When the alternative communication
response is being taught initially verbal
prompts are often used
– After the response is in the individual’s
repertoire the verbal prompts should be
reduced and eliminated (if possible)
• Assists in removing any prompt dependence
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Functional Communication Training
• Behavior reduction procedures
– Effectiveness of FCT can be increased with
the use of other procedures (in a treatment
package to enhance the reduction of the
undesired (problem) behaviors
• Extinction procedure
• Time-out procedure
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Functional Communication Training
• Schedule thinning
– Thinning of the schedule on which the
established communication response is
reinforced is an important part of FCT
– Should only be done after the alternative
communication response is firmly in the
individual’s repertoire
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Functional Communication Training
• Schedule thinning (continued)
– Guidelines for schedule thinning are NOT the same as
those for NCR
• Alternative communication response must remain sensitive to
evocative function of the EO to compete with problem
behavior
• Recovery of problem behavior could occur
– Hanley et al. (2001) recommended using a procedure
for schedule thinning
• Used dense FI schedule of reinforcement during initial
teaching of alternative communication response
• After the response is established, gradually thin the FI
schedule
• Suggest use of external cues to indicate when reinforcement
is available
Cooper, Heron, and Heward
Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved