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EFFECTS OF CONTINUOUS AND INTERMITTENT REINFORCEMENT FOR PROBLEM BEHAVIOR DURING FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION TRAINING
Author(s) -
Worsdell April S.,
Iwata Brian A.,
Hanley Gregory P.,
Thompson Rachel H.,
Kahng SungWoo
Publication year - 2000
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 - 10.1901/jaba.2000.33-167
Subject(s) - reinforcement , extinction (optical mineralogy) , psychology , aggression , schedule , functional analysis , developmental psychology , social psychology , computer science , paleontology , biochemistry , chemistry , gene , biology , operating system
We evaluated the effectiveness of functional communication training (FCT) in reducing problem behavior and in strengthening alternative behavior when FCT was implemented without extinction. Following the completion of functional analyses in which social‐positive reinforcement was identified as the maintaining variable for 5 participants' self‐injurious behavior (SIB) and aggression, the participants were first exposed to FCT in which both problem behavior and alternative behavior were reinforced continuously (i.e., on fixed‐ratio [FR] 1 schedules). During subsequent FCT conditions, the schedule of reinforcement for problem behavior was made more intermittent (e.g., FR 2, FR 3, FR 5, etc.), whereas alternative behavior was always reinforced according to an FR 1 schedule. Results showed that 1 participant's problem behavior decreased and alternative behavior increased during FCT when both behaviors were reinforced on FR 1 schedules. The remaining 4 participants shifted response allocation from problem to alternative behavior as the schedule of reinforcement for problem behavior became more intermittent. These results suggest that individuals might acquire alternative responses during FCT in spite of inconsistencies in the application of extinction, although even small errors in reinforcement may compromise treatment effects.