Arranging Consequences that Increase Behavior

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Chapter 7

• Arranging Consequences that Increase Behavior

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Big Idea Everyone does things because of the
consequences of of doing them.

• (See bulleted examples of this on page 212.)
• Some students may see little immediate benefit
  from learning plane geometry or applied behavior
  analysis.
• Competing reinforcers stronger than those being
  offered by the teacher may motivate some students.

Continue
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Big Idea Everyone does things because of the
consequences of of doing them.

• For example, some of your students may find the
  laughter of other students more reinforcing than
  your approval.
• When naturally occurring reinforcers (e.g. aha
  phenomenon) are not sufficiently powerful in your
  classroom, the wise teacher looks for more
  powerful ones.
• Aside Reinforcers can be natural or
  contrived.

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Basic Assumption Teachers Positive
Reinforcement has 3 features.

• The administration of this consequent stimulus
  (R or R-) increases the likelihood of the
  behavior occurring.
• The administration of this consequent stimulus is
  intentionally presented.
• The administration of this consequent stimulus is
  contingent on the behavior occurring.
• Note To be effective, Positive Reinforcers are
  administered immediately following the
  behavior.

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Two Types of Reinforcers Teachers can use

• Primary
• Edibles - Foods liquids
• Sensory- Visual, auditory, kinesthetic,
  olfactory, tactile, sleep, shelter, and sex
• Secondary
• Tangibles (materials like a toy, jewelry)
• Priviledges activities (free movie, recess)
• Generalized (tokens or points, money)
• Social (words, smiles, feedback)

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Considerations in Selecting Reinforcers

• Reinforcement history what worked before?
• Deprivation state how long has S been without?
• Perceived value is it worth my effort?
• Consistency of delivery in the past will the
  reinforcing agent apply the reinforcer with
  fidelity?
• Age appropriateness is something an x-year-old
  would expect?

Note Individuals have preferences and
determining these (reinforcement sampling)
increases their potential. Self-selected
reinforcers tend to be more effectiveask.
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More Considerations in Selecting Reinforcers
(Hall Hall, 1980)

• What are the interest and appetites?
• What is valued?
• What selection process works?
• What does the client give you?
• AskWhat would you like?
• What is novel?
• What is natural?
• What will you use?

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Primary reinforcers and satiationwhat to do.

• Read Mr. Alberto Eats Ice Cream on page 225.
• Satiation is the opposite of deprivation.
• Refer to methods for preventing satiation on
  pages 224-225.
• .

OYO Read how edible and other types of sensory
reinforcers have been used in behavior change
projects on page 225.
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Secondary Reinforcers(aka conditioned
reinforcers)

• No biological importance associated
  with these.
• Combined with primary reinforcers to establish a
  value - called pairing.
• Gradually remove the primary reinforcer.
• Aside Activity reinforcers, based on Premack
  Principle, tend to work.

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Generalized (Conditioned) Reinforcers

• When a reinforcer has been associated with a
  variety of other primary or secondary
  reinforcers, it may be termed a generalized
  reinforcer. That is, it is paired with other
  reinforcing stimuli. There are two types
• A) Social reinforcers such as praise are one
  kind of generalized reinforcer. These may have
  been paired with privileges, a hug, someone
  paying attention or feeling important.
• .

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Generalized (Conditioned) Reinforcers

• When a reinforcer has been associated with a
  variety of other primary or secondary
  reinforcers, it may be termed a generalized
  reinforcer.
• B) A second type of generalized reinforcer
  includes those that are exchangeable for
  something of value (p. 229). For example, money
  or tokens work for changing a variety of
  behaviors. Their value is what they can buy.

See advantages of generalized reinforcers on page
229.
Continue
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Generalized Reinforcers Are Effective Tools That
Influence Human Behavior
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Tokens, Points, And Cash

• Backup reinforcers should be desirable and
  accessible
• Indicate behaviors that yield tokens
• Indicate what the backup reinforcers are
• Indicate the costs of backup reinforcers
• Indicate when you will have store
• Note Counterfeiting potential should be
  considered
• Also Note Charlie the Miser (p. 234)

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Time Permitting - Social Reinforcers

• Read Social Reinforcers and Burrhus Teaches
  the Professor on page 238.
• Some social reinforcers are proximity, contact,
  privileges, words.
• Praise can be affirmative or informative
• Praise should
• Be contingent
• Specify the behavior
• Sound sincere (OLeary OLeary, 1977)

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OYO

• Check out contracting on pages 240 3.

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Time Permitting - Three administrative systems

• Dependent group-oriented contingencies
• The 410 class trip and free meal at Applebees
  depends on Julie getting a 90 on the first
  exam.
• Independent group-oriented contingencies
• Each student who gets a 90 on the first 410
  exam can come to Applebees for a free meal.
• Interdependent group-oriented contingencies.
• If everyone gets a 90 on the first 410 exam,
  the class will go to Applebees for a free meal.

OYO - See cautions on page 247 and read Ms.
Montgomery Teaches Spelling.
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Big Idea Some schedules or reinforcement are
more effective than others.

• Continuous schedule of reinforcement (CRF)
• ...each time the student produces the target
  response she or he immediately receives a
  reinforcer. This schedule has a one-to-one ratio.
  
• Utility
• most useful in teaching new behaviors
  (acquisition), especially to young children and
  individuals with disabilities....usually used in
  shaping procedures
• Drawbacks
• ...student may become satiated by reinforcer,
  especially if primary reinforcer is used
• ...may lead to accusations that teachers are
  leading students to expect some type of
  reinforcement every time they do as they are
  told.
• The transfer from continuous reinforcement to no
  reinforcement results in a rapid loss of the
  behavior...called extinction.

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Big Idea Some schedules of reinforcement are
more effective than others.

• 4 Intermittent schedules of reinforcement
• ...reinforcement follows some, but not all,
  correct or appropriate responses
• General advantages of intermittent schedules over
  CRF
• intermittent schedules delay satiation
• ...behaviors that have received intermittent
  reinforcement...are more resistant to extinction
• subject provides greater numbers of appropriate
  behaviors for reinforcement ...and
• ...student learns to delay gratification and to
  maintain appropriate behavior over longer periods
  of time

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Big Idea Some schedules of reinforcement are
more effective than others.

• 1 Fixed ratio (FR) schedules of reinforcement
• ...the student is reinforced on completion of a
  specified number of correct responses...a FR3
  schedule would be reinforced immediately
  following the occurrence of every third correct
  response
• Utility
• ...the student generally has a higher rate of
  responding than on CRF schedules because
  increases in rate result in increases in the
  frequency of reinforcement.
• Drawbacks
• As more responses are needed to get the
  reinforcer, speed may influence responding more
  than accuracy.
• ....as the schedule ratio increases (from FR2 to
  FR10, for example) the student will often stop
  responding for a period of time following the
  delivery of the reinforcer taking what is termed
  a postreinforcement pause.

To address postreinforcement pause, the teacher
should consider a variable ratio.
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Big Idea Some schedules of reinforcement are
more effective than others.

• 2 Variable ratio (VR) schedules of reinforcement
• ...the target response is reinforced on the
  average of a specified number of correct
  responses...a behavior on a VR5 schedule would be
  reinforced on the average of every 5th correct
  response. Therefore...the 2nd, 8th, 7th, 3rd,
  1st, 9th, 4th and 6th correct response.
• 2 8 7 3 9 1 5 35 35 / 7 5
  (average
• Utility
• .after the behavior on the FR schedule has been
  established at the criterion level, the VR
  schedule will maintain the desired level or rate
  of respond
• the unpredictability of reinforcer delivery on a
  VR schedule causes the students rate of
  responding to even out, with little or no
  postreinforcement pausing (p. 259).

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Big Idea Some schedules of reinforcement are
more effective than others.

• 3 Fixed Interval (FI) schedules of reinforcement
• ...under a fixed-interval schedule (FI), the
  student is reinforced the first time he or she
  performs the target response following the elapse
  of a specified number of minutes...a behavior on
  a FI5 schedule may be reinforced five minutes
  after the last reinforced response....The first
  correct response that occurs after the five
  minutes have passed is reinforced...Following the
  delivery of that reinforcer, the next five-minute
  cycle begins.
• Utility
• Read on page 250 1 - Behaviors placed on FI
  schedulesresulting in low productivity.

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Big Idea Some schedules of reinforcement are
more effective than others.

• 4 Variable Interval (VI) schedules of
  reinforcement
• Under a VI schedule, the intervals are of
  different lengths, while their average length is
  consistent.
• A behavior on a VI5 schedule would have a
  reinforcer available for the target response on
  the average of every five minutes.
• As in use of VR schedules, the unpredictability
  levels out student performance
• Behaviors under a VI schedule are performed at
  higher, steadier rates without the appearance of
  fixed-interval scallops because the student no
  longer predict the length of the interval
  following delivery of a reinforcer and therefore
  cannot predict which response will be reinforced
• OYO Check out limited hold and response
  duration.

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Keep in mind Thinning Schedules of Reinforcement

• A formal classroom reinforcement system should be
  viewed as a temporary structure used to produce
  rapid behavior change. Most teachers eventually
  plan to bring students behavior under the
  control of more natural reinforcers. Scheduled
  thinning helps decrease the dependence on
  artificial reinforcers and helps students learn
  to delay gratification. In thinning,
  reinforcement gradually becomes available less
  often or, in other words, becomes contingent on
  greater amounts of appropriate behavior.
• Thinning too quickly can lead to ratio strain.
• OYO - Read Professor Grundy Goes to Las Vegas.

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So in closing

• Please read section on Negative Reinforcement
  related to escape and avoidance of students (p.
  254-5).
• Finally, consider the discussion of Natural
  Reinforcementthe goal of all ABA behavioral
  change (p. 259).