The effects of reinforcer choice on rates of challenging behavior and free operant responding in individuals with severe disabilities
✍ Scribed by Richard B. Graff; Myrna E. Libby; Gina Green
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 352 KB
- Volume
- 13
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1072-0847
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✦ Synopsis
A multielement design was used to evaluate the eects of three reinforcement conditions on the free-operant and challenging responses of two individuals with severe disabilities. Preference assessments identi®ed three stimuli that could function as reinforcers for each participant. Reinforcers were delivered on a variable ratio schedule for a free-operant response. In the participant-selected condition, each reinforcer delivery consisted of placing an array of three dierent stimuli in front of the participant, who was allowed to select one. In the constant condition, each reinforcer delivery consisted of placing an array of three identical stimuli in front of the participant. Within each session the three stimuli were held constant, but varied across sessions. In the experimenter-selected condition, each reinforcer delivery consisted of an array of three identical stimuli being placed in front of the participant. Within each session, the three stimuli were presented in an order predetermined by the experimenter such that, on average, each stimulus was available every third reinforcer delivery. For both individuals, the participantselected condition resulted in lower average rates of challenging responses and slightly higher average free-operant response rates. No dierences in responding were noted between the constant condition and the experimenter-selected condition. # 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Individuals with severe disabilities frequently require dense reinforcement for both skill acquisition and the reduction of challenging behaviors. Finding and maintaining eective reinforcers are essential for eective intervention. Most reinforcement procedures used in applied settings are derived from basic animal research in which establishing operations, such as deprivation, were manipulated (Michael, 1982). Although there is some evidence that manipulating establishing operations can aect responding in individuals with developmental disabilities CCC 1072±0847/98/040249±20$17.50