PS527: Implementing Behavioral Change

Welcome and Hello

I am your professor for this course:

G. Evelyn LeSure-Lester, Ph.D.

Agenda

Ice Breaker

How to Be Successful in This Course

Lecture

Ice Breaker

• What program are you in and what previous courses have you had in research design and behavior analysis?

How to be Successful in this Class

General:• Read the syllabus in detail.• Attend Seminar • Carefully read and follow the instructions for

each assignment• Read the rubric for each assignment to

ensure that you know what is expected• Do all of the assignments• Meet the deadlines

How to be Successful in this Class

Discussion Questions:

• Note that there may be 2 discussion questions for most units; you are required to do both; at least 350 words for each

• You must do 2 peer responses (at least 100 words) for each discussion question

How to be Successful in this Class

Referencing• Make sure you reference in the BODY of the paper

for discussions and all other assignments.• For example: According to Miller, 2006,

p. 18, “a behavioral definition is a statement that specifies exactly what behavior to observe.”

• Do NOT just put the reference at the end without showing what you are referencing.

• If you do not reference the text or other academic source, you will loose points.

• I prefer that you include information from the text.

How to be Successful in this Class

Projects• There are 3 projects: Due at the end of

Weeks 3, 8 & 9• Be sure to read the rubric for each and follow

the instructions carefully• Answer each question.• Be detailed in your answers with examples

as requested.• Include information from the course• Reference the text

Final Project

• Using behavior analytic terms, you are to provide detailed descriptions of the  following components of an original behavior change plan:

• The client and your target verbal behavior(s) • An analysis of the elementary and complex verbal

behaviors and operants that currently exists in your client’s repertoire

• Your behavior change procedures, along with a clear rationale as to why you selected these particular methods for your client

• Supporting citations from the research literature showing that your selected method is based on evidenced based best practices

•  

Final Project (Cont)

• Any ethical, social, cultural, practical or individual considerations that were made when designing your behavior change plan

• Your plan to measure the clients progress along the way, and how you might modify your procedure if needed as you go

• How you plan to evaluate the success or failure of your treatment plan

•  

Feedback

I will provide feedback on your discussions, seminar participation, and projects. This feedback is intended to help you to learn and to enhance your performance; remember to incorporate this feedback in your future assignments by making the appropriate changes.

Questions

• Do you have any questions so far?

Applied Behavior AnalysisCooper, Heron & Heward

• The science in which procedures derived from the principles of behavior are systematically applied to improve socially significant behavior to a meaningful degree and to demonstrate experimentally

the procedures employed were responsible for the behavior improvement.

Antecedent Interventions and Behavior Change

Unit 1

Antecedent

• Antecedent refers to the state or condition of the environment prior to the emission of a response.

• There are antecedent stimuli for every response because behavior never occurs in a void.

Contingencies of Reinforcement

• 1) Antecedent Stimuli: The occasion upon when a response occurs

• 2) Response: The response itself

• 3) Consequence: Resultant Behavior

Contingencies of Reinforcement

• Example

• Antecedent Stimuli: Icy Road

• 2) Response: Drive at normal speed

• 3) Consequence: Crash into rear end of car ahead stopped for light

• Complexity of human behavior

• Individual Differences

Antecedent Interventions • Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR)

• High-probability (high-p) request sequence

• Functional communication training (FCT).

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR)

• Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) involves presenting stimuli with known reinforcing properties delivered on a fixed-time (FT) or variable-time (VT) schedule independent of the learner’s behavior

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR

• Goal: to effectively decrease problem behavior by using reinforcers to maintain the problem behavior available freely and frequently

• It utilizes positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and automatic reinforcement to identify and deliver stimuli with reinforcing properties

High-probability (high-p) Request Sequence

• High-probability (high-p) request sequence involves pairing two to five short tasks with which an individual has a history of compliance with a task(s) with which the individual does not have a history of compliance.

• It provides a non-aversive procedure for improving compliance by diminishing escape-maintained problem behaviors

High-probability (high-p) Request Sequence

• 1. To implement this strategy, the interventionist must identify three to five high-p requests for the child. Each of these requests needs to be one to which the child can quickly and immediately comply.

• 2. Next, the interventionist should target a specific low-p request that usually results in

• the production of challenging behaviors.• 3. The interventionist then delivers 3 to 5 high-p

requests immediately prior to delivering a low-p request.

Functional Communication Training (FCT)

• Functional communication training (FCT) aims to establish appropriate communication behavior to compete with problem behaviors.

Discussion

• Identify a behavior that you could use as a Non-Contingent Reinforcement (NCR) antecedent intervention

• What method would you use to change the behavior?

Discussion #2

• Identify a behavior that you could use as a High Probability Request Sequence (HPRS

• What method would you use to change the behavior?

Discussion #3

• Identify another behavior that you could as Functional Communication Training (FCT)