Examining stimuli paired with alternative reinforcement to mitigate resurgence in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and pigeons

Abstract

In two laboratory experiments, we examined whether stimuli paired with alternative reinforcers could mitigate resurgence of a previously reinforced target response with pigeons (Experiment 1) and children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Experiment 2). In Phase 1, we arranged food reinforcement according to a variable-ratio schedule for engaging in a target response. In Phase 2, we arranged extinction for target responding and differentially reinforced alternative responding according to a fixed-ratio schedule, with every alternative-reinforcer delivery paired with a change in keylight color (Experiment 1) or automated verbal (praise) statement (Experiment 2). In Phase 3, we assessed resurgence during extinction of target and alternative responding in the presence versus absence of continued presentation of the paired stimulus. Despite variation across sessions, resurgence on average was lower when continuing to present the paired stimuli in all pigeons and children while maintenance of alternative responding did not differ between assessments. These findings indicate that stimuli paired with alternative reinforcement can modestly decrease resurgence, but further examination of their efficacy and a better understanding of the underlying processes are necessary before they can be recommended for clinical use in reducing resurgence of clinically relevant problem behavior.

Prevalence of resurgence during thinning of multiple schedules of reinforcement following functional communication training

“…Future research could evaluate reinforcement duration and its impact on resurgence. In addition, clinicians should use recent findings from studies seeking to mitigate resurgence in order to decrease its expected impact (e.g., Craig et al, 2017;Fisher et al, 2018;Fuhrman et al, 2016;Shvarts et al, 2020). Recently, published research has focused on different strategies for schedule thinning including providing alternative reinforcers while schedule thinning (Austin & Tiger, 2015) and using shaping during communication training (Ghaemmaghami et al, 2018).…”

Examining effects of training duration on humans' resurgence and variability using a novel touchscreen procedure

“…In relation to the influence of proximity as a variable influencing response effort, human studies regularly constrain all response options to a single screen (e.g., Cox et al, 2019). In contrast, response options in studies with laboratory animals, in which little control responding is typical (e.g., Craig & Shahan, 2016; Shvarts et al, 2020), are considerably more spatially distributed. Additional research examining response effort could provide further insight into the role of reinforcement and generalization processes that could be integrated into theoretical accounts of resurgence.…”

“…During testing for resurgence in Phase 3, reinforcement typically is withheld for both responses, resulting in a transient recovery of target responding. Resurgence was first observed in rats (Leitenberg et al, 1970) and has since been demonstrated across several species, including fish (e.g., da Silva et al, 2014; Kuroda et al, 2017a, b), mice (Craig et al, 2020), rats (Craig & Shahan, 2016; Winterbauer & Bouton, 2010, 2011), pigeons (e.g., Liddon et al, 2017; Shvarts et al, 2020), monkeys (Mulick et al, 1976), and humans (Podlesnik et al, 2020; see Kestner & Peterson, 2017, for a review).…”

Relapse during the treatment of pediatric feeding disorders

“…However, research on the resurgence of inappropriate mealtime behavior is limited, and no analogous resurgence‐mitigation procedures have been investigated. Researchers have evaluated the utility of resurgence‐mitigation techniques for other behavior with humans and nonhuman animals, including: (a) using discriminative stimuli to signal extinction and reinforcement (Craig et al, 2017; Fisher et al, 2020; Fuhrman et al, 2016; Shvarts et al, 2020; Trask, 2019), (b) conducting treatment in unique contexts (e.g., Suess et al, 2020), and (c) teaching multiple alternative behaviors (e.g., Lambert et al, 2015). It is currently unclear to what extent these procedures may prevent resurgence of inappropriate mealtime behavior.…”