Effects on resurgence of multiple and single mand training

Document Type

Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree

M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis

Date Completed

2014

First Committee Member

Dickson, Chata

Second Committee Member

Thompson, Rachel

Third Committee Member

Ahearn, William

Abstract

"Resurgence is the recurrence of previously reinforced responding when current responding is no longer reinforced (e.g., Epstein, 1983/1985; Lieving et al., 2004). Clinicians should be concerned about resurgence of challenging behavior, especially when reinforcement of alternative behavior is the primary treatment for challenging behavior. The current study examined effects of multiple-mand training vs. single-mand training on the resurgence of a nonvocal response with one 21-year-old man with autism. In the multiple-mand condition, the nonvocal response and three alternative vocal responses were sequentially established and then extinguished. In the single-mand condition, the nonvocal response and one of the alternative vocal responses were again established and then extinguished. Each of these conditions was presented twice. Resurgence (in this case, the time to the 20th non-vocal response) occurred more quickly following single-mand training (98 and 143 s) than multiple-mand training (546 and 282 s). Additionally, the magnitude of resurgence was greater following single-mand training (6.4 and 5.3 responses per min) than multiple-mand (3.1 and 2.8 per min). Based on the longer latency to and smaller magnitude of resurgence of the nonvocal response following multiple-mand training, we discuss the possibility that reinforcing multiple socially appropriate members of a given response class during reinforcement of alternative behavior may improve treatment outcomes in the face of procedural integrity degradation."

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