Examining Procedural Variations of Delivering Competing Stimuli in the Treatment of Stereotypy
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Date
2-2024
Abstract
Competing stimulus assessments (CSA) are effective tools for identifying stimuli that compete with automatically reinforced behavior. However, Jennett et al. suggests there are cases for which non-contingent access to competing stimuli are insufficient at decreasing target responding and additional treatment components may be necessary. The purpose of the current study was to examine procedural variations (i.e., rotating competing items and prompted engagement) when presenting competing stimuli on increasing functional engagement and decreasing stereotypy. Following a functional analysis, a CSA was conducted to identify competing stimuli for four individuals with autism. Items identified were then used with two procedural variations. Levels of stereotypy, functional engagement, and item contact were measured. Results showed that for two participants both treatments were effective, while for the other two participants prompting functional engagement was more effective. Prompting functional engagement is likely a productive strategy for enhancing engagement with competing stimuli for automatically reinforced problem behavior as it may result in functional engagement becoming reinforcing in and of itself.
Recommended Citation
Rosenzweig, Julia L.; Li Volsi, Catlyn A.; de Man, Tiago; and Ahearn, William H., "Examining Procedural Variations of Delivering Competing Stimuli in the Treatment of Stereotypy" (2024). Student Work - College of Arts and Sciences. 10.
https://digitalcommons.wne.edu/casstudent/10
Original Citation
Rosenzweig, J. L., Li Volsi, C. A., de Man, T., & Ahearn, W. H. (2024). Examining Procedural Variations of Delivering Competing Stimuli in the Treatment of Stereotypy. Behavior Modification, 48(4), 420-448. https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455241232
