Association for Behavior Analysis International

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39th Annual Convention; Minneapolis, MN; 2013

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Symposium #312
Three Studies Examining the Use of Motivational Strategies in School-Based Interventions
Monday, May 27, 2013
10:30 AM–11:50 AM
M100 D-E (Convention Center)
Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Research
Chair: Jennifer J. McComas (University of Minnesota)
Discussant: Jennifer J. McComas (University of Minnesota)
Abstract:

School-based interventions can often be strengthened by adding simple motivational components. This symposium will present three studies that sought to augment motivating conditions at different points of the intervention process. The first study examined a Regressive Prompt Delay (RPD) procedure for improving sight-word reading in a 1st-grade student. RPD is unique because instead of extending the prompt-delay interval, RPD shortens it over sessions. The participant was instructed to try to beat the experimenter by responding more quickly. Experimental control was established and there were immediate changes in responding under unprompted conditions. The second study compared the use of a mystery motivator (indiscriminable contingencies) condition to high-preference consequences for improving math computation fluency in two 2nd-grade students. Interestingly, the indiscriminable contingencies condition was equally as effective as the high-preference condition at improving rate of responding, raising intriguing questions about why learners would prefer a condition in which they do not know the consequence ahead of time. The third study examined the use of choice for improving three teachers implementation of behavioral interventions relative to an expert derived, no-choice condition in school-based consultations. Both conditions improved child behavior, but teachers displayed higher treatment integrity and chose the choice intervention more often than the no-choice condition.

Keyword(s): academic interventions, choice, motivating operations, prompting
 
An Examination of the Effects of a Regressive Prompt Delay Procedure on Sight Word Acquisition
POLLY DARO (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Edward J. Daly III (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Maureen O'Connor (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Katherine Capadano (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Mallory Johnson (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Abstract: Prompting has been shown to improve responding in math, writing, and reading, bringing academic responding under control of the instructional stimuli. Various prompting procedures differ mostly in terms of the timing of the prompt. For example, progressive prompt delay increases the length of time between the presentation of the instructional item and a correct model from the teacher across sessions. The current study examined the effects of a novel prompting procedure—regressive prompt delay (RPD)—on the sight-word reading of a 1st-grade female. A multiple-probe (across sets of unknown words) design was used. During instruction, following an initial modeling trial, the participant was instructed to “try to beat” the experimenter by giving the correct response before the experimenter. Prompt delays were set at 9 s, 6 s, and 3 s. Correct responding under unprompted conditions was measured, and results indicate that experimental control was established and that responding increased rapidly when instruction was initiated for each new word set. The results will be discussed in terms of intervention efficiency and possible motivating conditions that may further contribute to stimulus control above and beyond the discriminative control that prompting methods produce.
 
A Comparison of Preference Versus Indiscriminable Contingencies for Increasing Math Computation Rate in Two Second-Grade Students
MAUREEN O'CONNOR (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Edward J. Daly III (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Polly Daro (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Nick Young (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Mallory Johnson (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Katherine Capadano (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Abstract: Using high-preference (HP) stimuli or activities identified through a preference assessment is a common and effective way to improve academic responding. A novel but infrequently examined approach to arranging contingencies that appears in the literature is the use of a “mystery motivator.” Mystery motivator makes the conditions indiscriminable for the learner because the consequence for responding is not revealed until after the task has been completed. Research to date has not compared mystery motivator (indiscriminable contingencies; IC) to other interventions. In the current study, a HP condition was compared to an IC condition for two 2nd-grade students who completed math computation problems during 5 min sessions. Following a baseline, the effectiveness of selected HP activities was established through comparisons to low-preference and escape conditions. To compare HP to IC, a concurrent-operants design was used, which permitted analysis of both participant choice of consequence (HP or IC) and level of responding. For both students IC improved rate of responding (relative to baseline) as well as the HP condition, and was selected equally as often. Results will be discussed in terms of possible mechanisms making IC an appealing choice for students and practical issues in the application of reinforcement programs for academic deficits.
 
An Examination of the Impact of Choice on Treatment Integrity
Melissa Andersen (University of Michigan Medical School), Edward J. Daly III (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), NICK YOUNG (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Abstract: Although there is a growing body of research on the use of performance feedback to improve treatment integrity, antecedent interventions have received little to no attention in the behavior-analysis literature. Antecedent interventions are simple to use and have a strong research base. The current study examined the effects of offering teachers choice of treatment components. A choice condition was compared to a no-choice condition in which an expert-derived treatment was used. An A/B/C/A/C/B design with counterbalancing was combined with a simultaneous-treatments design to examine treatment integrity and student problem behavior for three teacher-student dyads. The results indicated that, although both treatments improved student behavior, higher levels of treatment integrity and better behavioral outcomes were associated with the choice condition. The results will be discussed in terms of the merits of simple antecedent strategies for improving treatment integrity and the benefit of adding experimental design elements that provide a more direct measure of teacher preference.
 

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