Preference for and Efficacy of Accumulated and Distributed Response–Reinforcer Arrangements During Skill Acquisition

Accumulated and distributed response–reinforcer arrangements during the treatment of escape‐maintained problem behavior

“…Fulton et al (2020) combined positive and negative reinforcement in their evaluation of preference for accumulated and distributed reinforcement, and their results varied across participants. This variability in preference is inconsistent with prior research involving persons with IDD who were not reported to engage in escape-maintained problem behavior-in these studies, most participants preferred to accumulated reinforcers (e.g., Bukala et al, 2015;DeLeon et al, 2014;Frank-Crawford et al, 2019). Thus, it is possible that function of problem behavior may be one variable that influences preference for response-reinforcer arrangements.…”

“…All participants had a history of using tokens as part of their educational programming; however, their individual histories with regard to earning, accumulating, and trading tokens varied. Therefore, abbreviated token training was initiated using procedures described in detail in Frank-Crawford et al (2019). Briefly, token training was conducted with two different sets of tokens, one depicting a break and another depicting the top three preferred foods.…”

“…Research has suggested several practical advantages associated with arranging accumulated reinforcement, such as increased task-completion rates, shorter overall task durations (Bukala et al, 2015;DeLeon et al, 2014), more rapid skill acquisition (e.g., Frank-Crawford et al, 2019;Kocher et al, 2015), and decreased problem behavior (e.g., Fulton et al, 2020;Robinson & St. Peter, 2019). Further, when provided a choice between accumulated and distributed reinforcement contingencies, many individuals have demonstrated a preference for accumulated reinforcement arrangements (e.g., Bukala et al, 2015;DeLeon et al, 2014), including individuals with escape-maintained problem behavior (e.g., Fulton et al, 2020).…”

A Tiered Approach to Implementing Universal Symbols for Entering Inclusive Early Childhood Playgroups

“…Step 2: Reinforce All Attempts and Systematic Fading Reinforcement of newly learned behaviors is an essential component to ensure the long-term use of a new skill (Frank-Crawford et al, 2018). Breaking down a complex skill into manageable chunks is the first step in this process.…”

“…For every attempt, right or wrong, it is important that students receive reinforcement for the effort. Reinforcement is one of our most valuable tools as educators, and we must remember its power when teaching new skills (Frank-Crawford et al., 2018).…”