Why Study Behavior Applications of Operant Conditioning and

Why Study Behavior? Applications of Operant Conditioning and Learning Theory

Applied Behavior Analysis • Using behavioral approach in applied setting: – Schools – Institutions – Industrial settings, hospitals, etc. – Animal training • Behavior Analysts are psychologists, teachers, speech pathologists, audiologists, etc. who are certified in behavior analysis

Applied Behavior Analysis • What do they do? – Evaluate the situation and figure out the ABCs of Behavior • The Antecedants • The Behavior • The Consequences • The ABC’s of behavior – Conduct a functional analysis – Create a behavioral program to change the behavior – Evaluate the program

Functional Analysis • Determining the function of the behavior • Trying to find what contingencies maintain the behavior – Can be environmental – Can be “internal” environmental effects • Must “listen” or observe behavior to determine causes!

Using Reward and Punishment • Important to tailor the program to the clients – Not a one-size fits all – Use the functional analysis to determine program • Important ethical guidelines – Make individual as successful as possible – Make individual as independent as possible – Reduce the reliance on outside sources of reinforcement and punishment

Effective Reinforcement Procedures in Applied Settings: • Must be effective • Must be able to predict a priori the: – direction of behavior change – magnitude of reinforcement effect • Must be highly flexible across different populations and settings

Incidental Teaching • Teaching method used to increase social/verbal behaviors in children, adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities (Farmer-Dougan, 1994; Hart and Risley, 1968, 1974, 1975). • Focuses on accurately identifying reinforcers and increasing generalization and maintenance through use of naturalistic teaching • Captures a “teaching moment”

Can Incidental Teaching elicit generalized behavior? • 6 adult men with mental retardation and autism • In a group home for young men with severe behavioral problems • Problem behavior: Inappropriate behavior at meal times – Grabbed food – Shoved food in mouth – No social interactions

Method • 3 Pairs: higher functioning with lower functioning man – Three most verbal paired with 3 least verbal – Used lunch preparation as training time – Dinnertime was used as generalization probes • Lunch prep task: – More verbal person given all items used in food prep – When other client reached for item, was taught to withdraw item and prompt for “nice asking” – If the low verbal client “asked nicely”, got the item • By signing • By single word • By sentence

Method • Several steps: – Baseline – Training of Peer Tutors – Peer training – Withdrawal of incidental teaching – Reinstatement of incidental teaching – An ABCAC design – Generalization probes at dinner

Why important? • Showed that peer delivered incidental teaching could be easily implemented and highly adaptable – Focus on naturally occurring stimuli rather artificial situations and stimuli • Highly appropriate for community-based programming – Provided instruction in the context of natural, family-like activities • Was more effective means of assessing what was reinforcing to the clients than traditional methods or even Premack.

Can also use for Animal Behavior • Zoos: animal management, care and enrichment • Animal Shelters: behavior testing, identification and remediation of behavior problems • Even Pet owner consulting

Functional Analysis of Aggression in a Lemur: Teaching her NOT to bite!

Functional Analysis: Determine the Function of a (bad) Behavior • Developed the Captive Animal Functional Analysis Checklist (CAFAC) – This helps determine what is maintaining the behavior (reinforcing it) • Examines several categories of contingencies – – Social reinforcement: attention from other animals or humans Escape from humans, other animals Social Dominance versus Submission Self-stimulation (automatic reinforcement)

FACA showed: • Whacko’s aggression maintained by: – Social reinforcement • Contact and interaction • Protected the food bowl – Social dominance • Dominant over two males in enclosure • Aggressive to male zookeeper

Replacement Behaviors • Taught the lemur alternative responses: • Sit on her station • Show her paw • Punished biting/ aggression • water spray

Special Needs Dogs • Shelter dogs – Shelters are like prisons: devoid of positive stimuli and full of negative stimuli – Dogs develop behavior problems such as • • Fear Avoidance of humans Poor social skills to humans and other dogs Separation anxiety and related issues • Special needs dogs – Deaf dogs – Blind dogs – How does loss of a sensory modality affect behavior?

Theories of Behavior • Can examine different individuals and groups – Look for similarities and differences • Determine underlying similarities and differences – Organisms learn in highly similar ways – Biology does account for some differences

Training Service Dogs (And Shelter Dogs) • Use operant and classical conditioning • POSITIVE approach to training: – Avoid the use of punishment – Avoid the use of negative reinforcement – No choke collars, shock collars, aversives, etc. • Treat behavior problems via retraining and reconditioning

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Sometimes we learn more from the client than we teach • Goal of behavior analysis is to “listen” to what the behavior is telling us. • Can’t have preconceived notions, but rather must be good observers. • This is very important when dealing with unusual cases • Here is the story of Doris Ann…….

This is Doris Ann • At 30 yrs old referred to a state special Inpatient Behavior Center because of her violent and aggressive behavior. • She would • Hit her head (notice the wound at her hair line) • Bite and pinch others causing severe wounds. • Bite and scratch herself, • including pulling off her own skin on her arms and legs. • Scream incessantly

My team’s job: • Doris Ann arrived in a helmet, arm and leg restraints and on a high dose of sedatives. • Our job was to – get her out of restraints – off the medication – remediate the aggressive behavior using behavioral analysis techniques. • Conducted a functional analysis on the behavior – Collected data in 5 minute bins – Examined the data for patterns: what was reinforcing the behavior? What was setting off the behavior?

Functional Analysis indicated that: • Aggression in 2 situations – self aggression – Demands by staff to follow a direction • Self aggression occurred 30 -60 min. after meal/snack – banging head; Scratching at stomach, legs, bottom – Screamed loudly during these episodes • Form of post-meal aggression – Much more intense – continued when we tried to interrupt

What is YOUR diagnosis: • What is maintaining the self aggression? • What is maintaining the aggression to others?

Diagnosis • Pain was driving her inappropriate behavior – she had developed around her own twin: fetus in fetu – extra intestines, lobes of her liver, prolapsed colon, lactose intolerance • Solution: – Surgery to correct congenital defects – Change in diet – Teach an appropriate behavior to signal pain – Teach social and vocational skills so she could be an active member of society • Outcome: – Moved into a group home – Worked at a sheltered workshop and earned a paycheck – Self injurious behaviors diminished to almost nothing

Lessons from Doris Ann • Behavior talks and tells you the story. • You must be willing and able to listen!!