Translational Research to Inform Interventions for Challenging Behavior
Purpose
This project is meant to identify relations between the reinforcement histories of 80 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and the prevalence of extinction bursts. Extinction bursts, or temporary increases in rates and intensities of behavior during extinction, often preclude the inclusion of extinction in intervention packages meant to suppress severe challenging behavior, despite the fact that extinction is often necessary to generate therapeutic outcomes. Study results will provide insight into how researchers can enhance interventions for the severe challenging behavior of individuals with IDD while mitigating the undesirable collateral effects (i.e., extinction bursts) of therapeutic action (i.e., extinction). Expanded access to study results will be made available to those who inquire after all data have been obtained and analyzed.
Condition
- Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms
Eligibility
- Eligible Ages
- Over 18 Years
- Eligible Genders
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- Participants must be older than 18. - Participants must have a developmental disability (unconstrained to specific diagnoses). - Participants must be able to correctly manipulate all items used in the study. - Participants must consent (or assent, when relevant) to procedures prior to and throughout the study.
Exclusion Criteria
- Participants younger than 18. - Participants without disabilities. - Participants who cannot correctly manipulate items used in the study. - Participants who do not consent (or assent, when relevant) to participation.
Study Design
- Phase
- N/A
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Factorial Assignment
- Intervention Model Description
- The investigators will enroll 80 adults with developmental disabilities in a low-stakes translational investigation employing a 2x2 factorial, crossed, and randomized matched blocks design, with batched randomization logic. Procedures will include: (a) matching participants within batches according to progressive ratio reinforcer analysis results, and (b) randomly assigning participants to one of four experimental conditions to determine whether information about reinforcer value can be used to set baseline parameters that either promote or eliminate bursts during extinction.
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Single (Participant)
- Masking Description
- Participants will be randomized to one of four baseline reinforcement conditions. They will not be informed of which condition they have been assigned to, or why they have been assigned to it.
Arm Groups
Arm | Description | Assigned Intervention |
---|---|---|
Experimental "Cheap" Unit Price, Establishing Operation |
Pre-extinction baseline unit price for the programmed reinforcer will be its Pmax, minus one half of the distance between its Pmax and its breakpoint. Extinction will be introduced at the beginning of the relevant appointment, before within-appointment reinforcer consumption has had an opportunity to approximate demand. |
|
Experimental "Cheap" Unit Price, Abolishing Operation |
Pre-extinction baseline unit price for the programmed reinforcer will be its Pmax, minus one half of the distance between its Pmax and its breakpoint. Extinction will be introduced at the end of the relevant appointment, after within-appointment reinforcer consumption has approximated demand. |
|
Experimental "Expensive" Unit Price, Establishing Operation |
Pre-extinction baseline unit price for the programmed reinforcer will be its Pmax, plus one half of the distance between its Pmax and its breakpoint. Extinction will be introduced at the beginning of the relevant appointment, before within-appointment reinforcer consumption has had an opportunity to approximate demand. |
|
Experimental "Expensive" Unit Price, Abolishing Operation |
Pre-extinction baseline unit price for the programmed reinforcer will be its Pmax, plus one half of the distance between its Pmax and its breakpoint. Extinction will be introduced at the end of the relevant appointment, after within-appointment reinforcer consumption has approximated demand. |
|
More Details
- Status
- Active, not recruiting
- Sponsor
- Vanderbilt University
Study Contact
Detailed Description
The Goal of this project is to identify mechanisms responsible for bursts, and to facilitate strategic extensions toward discovery for treatments of challenging behavior. AIM 1: In the service of this goal, the investigators aim to evaluate the accuracy of an efficient alternative to demand-curve analysis (i.e., progressive ratio reinforcer analysis) in quantifying reinforcer value (i.e., Pmax). AIM 2: Investigators also aim to evaluate the utility of manipulating baseline reinforcement parameters for controlling bursts when those manipulations are informed by the results of demand-curve analysis.