Functional Analysis and Treatment of Severe Problem Behavior Maintained by Social-Negative Reinforcement

Abstract

Functional analysis (FA) methodology is a robust technology for determining the function of severe problem behavior and developing effective function-based interventions. However, challenges exist in the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior. Recent advances in FA methodology indicates that latency-based FAs might be an effective approach toward identifying functions of severe problem behavior. In addition, researchers have found that manipulating dimensions of reinforcement (e.g., magnitude and quality) during differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) for situations in which extinction (EXT) cannot be implemented is a potential approach for treating severe problem behavior. Specifically, studies have demonstrated that relative rates of appropriate behavior and problem behavior are a function of the relative value of reinforcement available for each response alternative. Therefore, there are multiple purposes of the current study. First, we replicated previous research by using the latency-based FA to determine the function of problem behavior (Study 1). Results showed that problem behavior was exclusively maintained by social-negative reinforcement for Anna, Janice, and Queenie and by social-negative reinforcement and social-positive reinforcement in the form of access to attention and tangible items for Brock. Second, we replicated and extended previous research by evaluating the effects of DRA without EXT for escape-maintained problem behavior (Study 2) by determining (a) the conditions under which DRA without EXT was effective for decreasing and maintaining low rates of problem behavior and (b) whether intervention effects would maintain while the token exchange schedule for the alternative response (i.e., compliance) was thinned. Results showed that effective treatments were developed in the absence of EXT by manipulating the magnitude and quality of reinforcement for compliance for all four participants, and results maintained when reinforcement schedules were thinned with the use of tokens for three of the four participants.