Association for Behavior Analysis International

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39th Annual Convention; Minneapolis, MN; 2013

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Symposium #129
CE Offered: BACB
Effects of Pre-session Access to Reinforcers on Subsequent Performance of Children With Autism
Sunday, May 26, 2013
9:00 AM–10:20 AM
208 C-D (Convention Center)
Area: AUT/DDA; Domain: Applied Research
Chair: Amanda Karsten (Western New England University)
Discussant: Mark O'Reilly (University of Texas at Austin)
CE Instructor: Amanda Karsten, Ph.D.
Abstract:

Multiple parent- and practitioner-oriented websites describe pre-session exposure to reinforcers as paramount in order for learning to occur (e.g., Barbera, 2009, "What does an ABA session look like?" 2005). The main proposed benefit of pre-session access to reinforcers is an increase in the student's readiness or motivation to learn (e.g., sitting at the work table, complying with instructions, etc.). Practitioners have also cited a lack of effective pairing between reinforcers and the teacher or context as one explanation for increased problem behaviors such as crying, fleeing from the environment, and protesting during one-on-one teaching sessions (Barbera & Rasmussen, 2007). To date, few published studies have evaluated the effects of pre-session access to reinforcers on subsequent behavior of children with autism (i.e., behavior-altering and value-altering effects of exposure or deprivation). This symposium includes three experiments which examine the relation between pre-session exposure to reinforcers and subsequent performance of children with autism.

Keyword(s): autism, motivating operations, pairing, reinforcer sampling
 

Effects of Presession Pairing on Challenging Behavior and Academic Responding for Children With Autism

AMANDA N. KELLY (SEEM Collaborative, Massachusetts), Ronald F. Allen (Simmons College), Judah B. Axe (Simmons College), Russell W. Maguire (Simmons College)
Abstract:

As a result of being paired with work demands, the presence of an instructor may signal a worsening set of aversive conditions (i.e., reflexive conditioned motivating operation; CMO-R). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of presession pairing of the instructor with preferred stimuli on disruptive behavior and correct responding. Functional analyses indicated a primary or combined escape function for three children diagnosed with autism. For participants with multiply maintained challenging behavior, attention was also a co-occurring function. The investigator conducted preference assessments to identify preferred items for each participant. In the presession pairing phase, the experimenter engaged playfully with the participant with a highly preferred item for 2-4 minutes immediately prior to the instructional session. The discrete trial training used to teach math and spelling skills was the same across the baseline and presession pairing sessions. Results in a multiple baseline across participants design indicated that presession pairing was effective in reducing disruptive behaviors, increasing latencies to challenging behavior, and increasing inter-response times of challenging behaviors. Interobserver agreement collected on 30% of sessions, averaged 97.6% (91.1% - 100%); procedural integrity collected on 30% of sessions, averaged 98.5% (97-100%). Future research recommendations and implications are discussed.

 

Effects of Reinforcer Sampling on Correct Responding and Problem Behavior of Children With Autism

CHARLOTTE MANN (New England Center for Children), Amanda Karsten (Western New England University), Erin Michaud (New England Center for Children)
Abstract:

Reinforcer sampling has been demonstrated to increase correct academic responding during teaching sessions (Park, Pereia Delgado, Choi & Greer, 2008) and to increase the frequency with which adults with developmental disabilities exchanged tokens for reinforcing events (Ayllon & Azrin, 1968). The current study evaluated effects of pre-session exposure to reinforcers on academic skill acquisition, academic skill maintenance, and problem behavior. To date, one child with autism has participated in the study. Data were collected on percentage correct performance (acquisition and maintenance) and percentage of trials with problem behavior. Interobserver agreement (IOA) was collected for 25% of sessions with mean agreement of 98.6% (range 97-100%). Pre-session exposure to edible and social reinforcers was associated with slower acquisition than a no-exposure comparison condition. Results for problem behavior and academic skill maintenance were undifferentiated between conditions.

 

Analysis of the Value Altering Effect of Motivating Operations

BAILEY DEVINE (University of North Texas), Richard G. Smith (University of North Texas), Einar T. Ingvarsson (University of North Texas), Jonathan W. Pinkston (University of North Texas)
Abstract:

Laraway, Snycerski, Michael, and Poling (2003) discussed two effects that motivating operations have on behavior. First is the behavior-altering effect, in which the occurrence of behavior is momentarily altered. Second is the value-altering effect, in which the value of some consequence as a reinforcer is altered. Studies have demonstrated changes in behavior that can be attributed to the behavior-altering effect, but few studies have analyzed the value-altering effect. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of deprivation or satiation on the value of edible reinforcers. Participants were children aged 5-10 diagnosed with autism. During conditioning, pre-session edible access was manipulated and paired with neutral stimuli to create conditioned motivating operations. Participants clicked on a red or blue box that moved around a screen; the colors were differentially associated with the deprivation and satiation conditions. Accurate clicking was reinforced via edible delivery, and reinforcers were yoked across conditions. Probes were conducted under extinction, and both colored boxes were concurrently available. During the probes, participant 1 allocated more responding to the box associated with deprivation, which suggests that deprivation from edibles may increase their value as reinforcers. Data collection with additional participants is under way.

 

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