ABSTRACT
If the members of a functional response class occur in a predictable order, a response-class hierarchy is said to exist. Although this topic has received some attention in the applied literature, it remains relatively understudied. The purpose of the current investigation was to develop an analogue model of a response-class hierarchy. Children with and without developmental disabilities were first taught three responses in an attempt to develop a functional response class ordered along the dimension of response effort (Experiment 1). Following response-class development, an extinction analysis was used to determine whether the responses were hierarchically related (Experiment 2). Results of Experiment 1 indicated that a functional response class was developed, and that there was a relation between response rate and effort for the established response class. Results of Experiment 2 indicated that a response-class hierarchy existed within the previously developed response classes for 3 of 4 participants.
Subject(s)
Conditioning, Operant , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Models, Psychological , Psychomotor Performance , Child , Child, Preschool , Extinction, Psychological , Female , Humans , Male , Physical ExertionABSTRACT
In order to teach individuals with developmental disabilities to request stimuli they are motivated to obtain (mand), it is often necessary to initially deliver the item requested immediately and frequently. This may result in an undesirably high rate of mands that is impractical to maintain. The purpose of the current investigation was to extend the findings of previous research on the maintenance of low-rate mands within a communication-training context for children diagnosed with autism by evaluating the efficacy of two procedures: (1) signaled delay-to-reinforcement and (2) multiple schedules. The results of our evaluation of multiple schedules replicated those of previous research; this arrangement was found for all participants to be effective in maintaining mands at low rates under multiple schedules with a 270-s extinction component and 30-s reinforcement component. For all participants, signaled delay-to-reinforcement was ineffective in maintaining mands at the terminal criterion, a 270-s delay.
Subject(s)
Autistic Disorder/psychology , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Reinforcement, Psychology , Teaching/methods , Verbal Behavior , Child , Child, Preschool , Discrimination Learning , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Extinction, Psychological , Female , Humans , Male , Motivation , Reinforcement ScheduleABSTRACT
Stimulus fading in the form of gradually increased exposure to a fear-evoking stimulus, often combined with differential reinforcement, has been used to treat phobias in children who are otherwise normal and in children with autism. In this investigation, we applied stimulus fading plus differential reinforcement with an adolescent with autism and diabetes whose needle phobia had prevented medical monitoring of his blood glucose levels for over 2 years. Results showed that the treatment was successful in obtaining daily blood samples for measuring glucose levels.
Subject(s)
Autistic Disorder/therapy , Blood Specimen Collection/psychology , Desensitization, Psychologic/methods , Needles , Phobic Disorders/therapy , Token Economy , Adolescent , Autistic Disorder/psychology , Blood Specimen Collection/instrumentation , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/psychology , Generalization, Psychological , Humans , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Male , Phobic Disorders/psychologyABSTRACT
An ABAB design was used to assess the effects of a tactile prompting device (i.e., a vibrating pager) as a prompt for the social initiations of 3 children with autism during free-play activities with typically developing peers. Results indicated that the tactile prompt was effective in increasing verbal initiations for all 3 children, and responses to peers' initiations were higher for 2 participants when the tactile prompt was used. Efforts to reduce the frequency of prompts while still maintaining rates of initiations were partially successful for 1 participant.
