Effects of signaled and unsignaled alternative reinforcement on persistence and relapse in children and pigeons

Abstract

Three experiments explored the impact of different reinforcer rates for alternative behavior (DRA) on the suppression and post-DRA relapse of target behavior, and the persistence of alternative behavior. All experiments arranged baseline, intervention with extinction of target behavior concurrently with DRA, and post-treatment tests of resurgence or reinstatement, in two- or three-component multiple schedules. Experiment 1, with pigeons, arranged high or low baseline reinforcer rates; both rich and lean DRA schedules reduced target behavior to low levels. When DRA was discontinued, the magnitude of relapse depended on both baseline reinforcer rate and the rate of DRA. Experiment 2, with children exhibiting problem behaviors, arranged an intermediate baseline reinforcer rate and rich or lean signaled DRA. During treatment, both rich and lean DRA rapidly reduced problem behavior to low levels, but post-treatment relapse was generally greater in the DRA-rich than the DRA-lean component. Experiment 3, with pigeons, repeated the low-baseline condition of Experiment 1 with signaled DRA as in Experiment 2. Target behavior decreased to intermediate levels in both DRA-rich and DRA-lean components. Relapse, when it occurred, was directly related to DRA reinforcer rate as in Experiment 2. The post-treatment persistence of alternative behavior was greater in the DRA-rich component in Experiment 1, whereas it was the same or greater in the signaled-DRA-lean component in Experiments 2 and 3. Thus, infrequent signaled DRA may be optimal for effective clinical treatment.

Quantitative models of persistence and relapse from the perspective of behavioral momentum theory: Fits and misfits

“…Alternative behavior during extinction as a proportion of response rates during the final five sessions of DRA treatment reported by Nevin et al (2016, Experiment 1). Note that the functions for High-BL and Low-BL conditions are essentially identical.…”

“…We now apply Equation 9 to the data of Experiment 1 by Nevin et al (2016), which was designed to evaluate the effects of high vs. low alternative reinforcement rates (DRA) in Phase 2 in combination with high or low rates of target-response reinforcement in Phase 1. In Phase 1 (baseline), target responding produced food reinforcement at either a high rate (120/hr, termed High-BL) or low rate (30/hr, termed Low-BL) in all three components of a multiple schedule, in two successive and counterbalanced conditions.…”

“…Overall, the conceptual difficulties with Equation 8, its poor predictive performance with the resurgence data of Nevin et al (2016), and its other empirical failings (see Craig & Shahan, 2016) force us to conclude that accounts of resurgence based on behavioral momentum theory are fundamentally flawed. Therefore, an alternative approach to resurgence is sorely needed (e.g., Shahan & Craig, in press, this issue).…”

“…The left panel presents the data, expressed as mean proportions of baseline, from a resurgence study reported by Nevin et al (2016, Experiment 1). The center panel presents predictions of Equation 8 with alternative reinforcers included in the denominator of the exponent, and the right panel presents predictions of Equation 8 with alternative reinforcers excluded.…”

Basing assessment and treatment of problem behavior on behavioral momentum theory: Analyses of behavioral persistence

“…Both provided quantitative measures of persistence to determine the success of treatment. These studies and others like them across the basic/applied continuum (e.g., Bland, Bai, Fullerton, & Podlesnik, 2016; Nevin et al, 2016) provide demonstrations of how our definitions, designs, analyses, and procedures can be altered in clinically pragmatic ways when clinical decisions are based on behavioral processes.…”