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

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

ArmDescriptionAssigned 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.
  • Behavioral: Demand Informed Moderator Analysis
    This analysis is designed to determine the degree to which relative price, and the timing of extinction, interact to increase or abate responding during extinction (thereby highlighting mechanisms of control).
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.
  • Behavioral: Demand Informed Moderator Analysis
    This analysis is designed to determine the degree to which relative price, and the timing of extinction, interact to increase or abate responding during extinction (thereby highlighting mechanisms of control).
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.
  • Behavioral: Demand Informed Moderator Analysis
    This analysis is designed to determine the degree to which relative price, and the timing of extinction, interact to increase or abate responding during extinction (thereby highlighting mechanisms of control).
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.
  • Behavioral: Demand Informed Moderator Analysis
    This analysis is designed to determine the degree to which relative price, and the timing of extinction, interact to increase or abate responding during extinction (thereby highlighting mechanisms of control).

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.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.