A component analysis is a systematic assessment of 2 or more independent variables or components that comprise a treatment package. Component analyses are important for the analysis of behavior; however, previous research provides only cursory descriptions of the topic. Therefore, in this review the definition of component analysis is discussed, and a notation system for evaluating the experimental designs of component analyses is described. Thirty articles that included a component analysis were identified via a literature search. The majority of the studies successfully identified a necessary component; however, most of these studies did not evaluate the sufficiency of the necessary component. The notation system may be helpful in developing experimental designs that best suit the purpose of studies aimed at conducting component analyses of treatment packages.
This study investigated performance under and preference for continuous and discontinuous work-reinforcer schedules in 3 students who had been diagnosed with autism. Under continuous schedules, participants completed all work and consumed all reinforcers in contiguous units. Under discontinuous schedules, work and reinforcer access were broken up into smaller units. During the alternating-schedules phase, session duration was shorter in the continuous schedule for 2 participants. During free choice, all 3 participants preferred the continuous work schedule.
One concern with training discrete-trial teaching (DTT) is the generalization of teaching skills. This study employed behavioral skills and general-case training to train three parents to conduct DTT. A multiple-baseline-across-participants-experimental design assessed the effects of parent training on the generalization of parents' DTT to non-trained programs and on child behavior. Following training, generalization of parent DTT skills occurred, but the effects on child behavior were variable. Implications of programming for generalization and the effects of parent training on child performance are discussed.
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