Increasing Accurate Preference Assessment Implementation Through Pyramidal Training

Abstract

Preference assessments directly evaluate items that may serve as reinforcers, and their implementation is an important skill for individuals who work with children. This study examined the effectiveness of pyramidal training on teachers' implementation of preference assessments. During experiment 1, 3 special education teachers taught 6 trainees to conduct paired-choice, multiple-stimulus without replacement, and free-operant preference assessments. All trainees acquired skills necessary to implement preference assessments with 90% or greater accuracy during the training sessions and demonstrated generalization of skills to their classrooms or clinic. During experiment 2, 5 teachers who served as trainees in experiment 1 trained 18 preschool teachers. All preschool teachers met the mastery criterion following training. Training teachers to implement preference assessments may increase teachers' acceptance and use of behavior-analytic procedures in school settings.

Teaching Practitioners to Conduct Behavioral Skills Training: A Pyramidal Approach for Training Multiple Human Service Staff

“…As indicated earlier, a number of previous investigations with pyramidal training did not report the degree to which practitioners implemented the constituent steps of the training process while training other staff (e.g., Demchak & Browder;Haberlin et al;Jones et al, 1977;Neef, 1995;Pence et al, 2012;Shore et al). Third, whereas in a number of previous investigations trainers trained other staff only on a specific skill set on which the trainers recently had been trained Haberlin et al;Page et al, 1982;Pence et al), in the current investigation the trainers trained target skills that were not the focus of their own training. That is, the participants initially were assessed while they trained three specific skills to a staff person in simulation (behavior-specific praise, least-to-most prompting, providing a two-item choice) but trained to train using two other skills (embedded teaching, conducting a preference assessment).…”

“…One approach for implementing BST that can reduce the amount of time for a behavior analyst to train multiple staff is pyramidal training (Pence, St. Peter, & Tetreault, 2012). Pyramidal training generally involves a senior trainer (e.g., a behavior analyst) training a small group of staff (e.g., supervisors) who in turn train other staff.…”

“…In typical investigations with pyramidal training a specific behavior-change skill has been trained to a small group of personnel who were then directed to train the specified skill to other individuals (Demchak et al, 1992;Green & Reid, 1994;Haberlin, Beauhamp, Agnew, & O'Brien, 2012;Kuhn, Lerman, & Vorndran, 2003;Neef, 1995;Page, Iwata, & Reid, 1982;Pence et al, 2012). However, because this approach focuses on trainer and staff use of a specific behavior-change skill, questions have been raised regarding the degree to which the staff trainers would be able to train other important skills to staff beyond the specific behaviorchange skill that was the focus of the trainers' own training (Demchak & Browder, 1990;Finn & Sturmey, 2009).…”

“…However, because this approach focuses on trainer and staff use of a specific behavior-change skill, questions have been raised regarding the degree to which the staff trainers would be able to train other important skills to staff beyond the specific behaviorchange skill that was the focus of the trainers' own training (Demchak & Browder, 1990;Finn & Sturmey, 2009). Such a concern is highlighted when considering that investigations on pyramidal training generally provide data that the staff trainers were competent in applying the behavior-change skill but not data regarding the trainers' implementation of the constituent steps of BST when training the skill to other staff (Demchak & Browder, 1990;Demchak et al, 1992;Haberlin et al, 2012;Jones, Fremouw, & Carples, 1977;Neef, 1995;Pence et al;Shore, Iwata, Vollmer, Lerman, & Zarcone, 1995). The lack of documentation that the staff trainers accurately implemented the staff training procedures is a likely explanation of why pyramidal training can result in the staff trainees being less proficient in performing the target behavior-change skill than their trainers who were trained to perform the skill by the senior trainer (Demchak et al).…”

A Survey of Staff Training and Performance Management Practices: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

“…One solution might involve the adoption of pyramidal training. This peer training approach has been used to teach a variety of interventionist behaviors including correct implementation of functional analysis (Pence et al 2014), teaching procedures (Neef 1995), and preference assessments (Pence et al 2012). If a pyramidal approach is adopted, we advocate direct teaching on effective training practices as well as close monitoring of peer trainer behaviors to ensure integrity and adherence to organizational policies and procedures.…”