While the focus of this course is behavioral assessment, understanding the link from assessment to intervention is a critical component of the assessment process. For your primary discussion board post this week, describe the results of a functional analysis conducted with a hypothetical client. In your summary of the results, identify whether the behavior targeted for reduction is maintained by social-positive reinforcement, social-negative reinforcement, or automatic reinforcement. Then, according to the identified function, propose one intervention that involves noncontingent reinforcement, one that involves extinction, and one that involves differential reinforcement.
I have attached the Applied Behavior Analysis textbook (Cooper, Heron & Heward, 2013) as a resource for correct terms and procedures to be obtained from.
BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE RESPONSE TO THE DISCUSSION PROMPT ABOVE, USE IT TO GAIN INFO AND FORMAT FROM, BUT DO NOT COPY DIRECTLY PLEASE:
Functional analysis is a fantastic way to see precisely which function of behavior is maintaining a target behavior. This is essential for problematic behaviors, especially dangerous one such as self-injurious or aggression. A primary advantage of the functional analysis is that is yields clear demonstration of the variable related to the occurrence of the problem behavior (Cooper, 2007). Functional analysis is a standard of scientific evidence and represents the most useful form of treatment of problem behavior. The results of a hypothetical client can show us how a targeted behavior can be reduced by the behavior analytic tools such as extinction, noncontingent reinforcement and differential reinforcement.
Rambunctious Russell who has a diagnosis of autism has a problematic behavior of eloping. Eloping is operationally defined as any instance of running off, moving away, walking, crawling, rolling, biking, away from the designated area he/she is supposed to be, made verbally known or specific setting such as living room, classroom or walking next to specified adult. Eloping begins when the client is gone for more than a foot outside of the designated area and ends when the client returns to less than a foot within the designated area. Examples of eloping include a foot outside the living room, foot outside the classroom, foot away from the adult when standing in parking lot. Non-Examples of eloping look like anywhere in the classroom, anywhere a living room and less than a foot proximity in a parking lot or sidewalk. Let us suppose a functional analysis is conducted and results shows in the graphs of the three conditions (escape, free play, contingent attention) plus the control highlight that Russells escape behavior is highest in the escape condition. In the escape condition, social-negative reinforcement is maintaining this problem behavior. Escape condition results the function of the eloping behavior.
Possible interventions for the maintained eloping behavior by social-negative reinforcement would be many different possible tools in the behavior analyst toolbox. I will expand on what intervention look like in these three procedures, noncontingent reinforcement, extinction, and differential reinforcement. Noncontingent reinforcement is an antecedent intervention where the stimuli with known reinforcing properties is delivered on the highest schedule (the fixed ratio) (Cooper, 2007). Utilizing the fixed ratio reinforcement schedule Russell will know exactly when the opportunity to escape is available. This would look like a set timer to go off every 10 minutes where a break is offered to do whatever he wants within reason. Extinction is the discontinuing of a reinforming of previously reinforced behavior; therefore, the response is no longer available (Cooper, 2007). The extinction procedures can look like positive or negative reinforcement and automatic reinforcement. Russells extinction intervention may look like no available access to leave the designated area, such as a safe room where he can not leave. This condition may provide ethical issues according to the BACBs Code of Compliance. Lastly, the differential reinforcement tool is described by Cooper et al., as reinforcing only the responses within a response class that meet a specific criterion along with some dimensions and placing all other responses in the extinction class (2007). This tool in action would look like when Russell tried to escape, a differential reinforcement of alternative behavior is presented through other options such as preferred activities in the same area or providing a snack for him to shift his behavior to eating rather than running away. In addition, giving reinforcement for any other behavior besides trying to escape is on the highest schedule of reinforcement. So, if he sits down to take a break from escaping lots of social attention verbal praise would be given to Russell.
Reference
Cooper, O. J., Heron, E. T., & Heward, L. W. (2007). Applied behavior
analysis (2nd Ed.). Pearson.
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|