PSYC214 - Learning and Behaviour, Week Eleven Lecture

Overview

• Topic: Antecedent interventions

  1. Default interventions

  2. Functionally-based Noncontingent Antecedent

Antecedent Interventions

• Focus on modifying conditions or events that occur prior to problem behavior.

Behavioural Interventions to Treat Problem Behaviour

• Involves manipulation or management of environmental events with the goal of reducing or eliminating problem behavior.

Two Broad Categories of Antecedent Intervention

1. Default Interventions

2. Function-based Interventions

Default Interventions

• Effective for problem behaviors maintained by various sources of reinforcement.

• These do not specifically target antecedents or variables preceding the problem behavior.

• No need for knowledge of consequences maintaining the behavior.

• Quick implementation without requiring functional behavior analysis.

Examples of Default Interventions

• 1.1 Response restriction

• 1.2 Stimulus-enriched environment

• 1.3 Antecedent exercise

1.1 Response Restriction

• Methods: Restraint, protective equipment, mechanical devices.

• Effectiveness: Works by reducing movement or preventing target responses; effective but intrusive.

• Use in emergency situations only.

  • Personal restraint: Securing body parts in response to problem behavior.

  • Mechanical restraint: Devices such as straightjackets.

  • Protective equipment: Allows movement while preventing damage (e.g., padded helmets).

Advantages and Disadvantages of Response Restriction

• Advantages:

  • Can eliminate the problem behavior immediately.

• Disadvantages:

  • Limits participation in appropriate activities.

  • No alternative behavior taught.

  • Potentially traumatic.

1.2 Stimulus-Enriched Environment

• Providing liked items or activities non-contingently to prevent problem behaviors.

• Effective for self-injurious and socially reinforced behaviors.

• Mechanism of effectiveness: Offers alternative sources of reinforcement.

• Advantages:

  • Simple and cost-effective.

  • Beneficial when the function of behavior is unclear.

1.3 Antecedent Exercise

• Involves aerobic or strength training activities that are not contingent on problem behavior.

• Effective for a variety of behavioral issues such as aggression and off-task behavior.

• Mechanism: Alters motivation and the effectiveness of consequences maintaining problem behavior.

• Disadvantages:

  • Temporary effects, lasting approximately two hours.

  • May not be feasible in all contexts.

Function-Based Interventions

• Implement only if the operant function of problem behavior is understood.

• Involves manipulating identified contingencies maintaining the behavior.

Two General Approaches of Function-Based Interventions

1. Non-contingent Reinforcement (NCR)

2. Stimulus Control Strategies

2.1 Noncontingent Reinforcement (NCR)

• Targets motivating operations by presenting reinforcement non-contingently.

• Effective for various behavioral issues, including self-injury and aggression.

• Schedule adjustments to control problem behavior progression.

Example Intervention Plan for NCR

• Child’s bizarre speech requiring attention:

  • Continuous attention initially faded over time while withholding attention during bizarre speech.

2.2 Stimulus Control Strategies

• Involves discriminative stimuli indicating likely consequences for given behavior.

• Develops to regulate behavior through differential consequences.

• Examples: Warning signals associated with punishments, such as warning stickers on food items.

Generalization and Maintenance of Changes

• Improving generalization of treatment effects through intervention strategies.

• Behavior coming under the control of discriminative stimuli leads to effective change without continuous reinforcement.

Antecedent Interventions Summary

• Aim to decrease motivation for problem behavior.

• Signal different consequences for the behavior and physically prevent the behavior.

Special Focus on Escape Behaviour

• Target interventions to decrease negative reinforcement escape behaviors.

• Alter context to reduce aversiveness of task demands.

Specific Techniques for Escape Behaviour

1. Elimination of Aversive Stimulation

2. Fading in Aversive Stimuli

3. High-Probability (high-p) Sequence

4. Altering the Aversive Stimulus

5. Altering the Aversive Context

• Adjusting features of a given task or altering the environment can decrease aversiveness and improve compliance.