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Functional analysis and treatment of self‐injurious feather plucking in a black vulture ( Coragyps atratus )
Author(s) -
Morris Kristen L.,
Slocum Sarah K.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1002/jaba.639
Subject(s) - vulture , reinforcement , psychology , etiology , feather , schedule , zoology , psychiatry , social psychology , biology , computer science , operating system
The etiology and maintenance of self‐injurious feather plucking (FP) have been attributed to biological and environmental processes, yet a definitive solution has not been found. The current study investigated the application of a functional analysis and function‐based treatment to reduce the FP of a black vulture ( Coragyps atratus ). FP was found to be maintained by positive reinforcement in the form of contingent attention. A treatment consisting of noncontingent reinforcement decreased FP, and levels of FP remained low during schedule thinning. The current study further demonstrates the validity of function‐based assessment and treatment with captive animals.