Be Aware of Negative Reinforcement

An historical view of the clinical and research base of functional analysis

“…The results of their study showed that higher levels of problem behavior occurred under difficult tasks (when compared to the rates of problem behavior under easy tasks). However, this effect could be markedly attenuated by using errorless learning procedures (Cipani, 1987(Cipani, , 1995Cipani & Madigan, 1986) to teach 3 Mands and tacts are terms used to describe verbal operants, originally proposed by Skinner (1957). A mand is a verbal behavior under the control of an establishing operation or establishing stimulus and is maintained by the delivery of a specific reinforcer (Cipani, 1988;Michael, 1982;Sundberg, 1983).…”

Differentiating behavioral & traditional case formulations for children with severe behavioral & emotional problems.

“…An understanding of why the behavior occurs is better served through an analysis of the behavior's ability to produce desired events or terminate undesirable events. Therefore, a behavioral case conceptualization would examine the observable events in the social environment (Bailey & Pyles, 1989;Cipani, 1994;Cipani, 1995;Iwata, 1987;LaVigna, Willis & Donnellan, 1989;Lennox & Miltenberger, 1989;Rolider & Axelrod, 2000;Schock, Clay, & Cipani, 1998). In the above hypothetical case, one would examine what happens in the social environment when the child becomes argumentative with peers and on occasion aggresses against them.…”