Behavior Chains

Behavior Chains

• A behavior chain involves a linked sequence of responses that lead to a terminal outcome.
• Each response within the chain creates a stimulus change, acting as a conditioned reinforcer for that response.
• This stimulus change also serves as a discriminative stimulus, SD, signaling the next response in the chain.
• Reinforcement for the final response maintains the effectiveness of stimulus changes from all prior responses.

Important Characteristics of a Behavior Chain

• Behavior chains consist of a specific series of discrete responses.
• Each behavior in the sequence creates a stimulus change
• The change yields conditioned reinforcement for the preceding response.
• The change serves as a discriminative stimulus for the subsequent response.
• The responses within a chain must occur in a specific order.
• The responses within a chain must occur in close temporal succession.

Factors Affecting the Performance of Behavior Chains

• Learning a behavior chain is more difficult if elements are not properly sequenced.
• Learning a behavior chain is more difficult if discriminative stimuli are not identified for each response.
• Task analysis requires advanced planning before training.
• Training should begin with the expectation of adjustments or the use of prompts.
• Longer, more complex chains take more time to learn than shorter ones.
• A chain can be maintained if an appropriate schedule of reinforcement is used.
• The number of responses in a chain may need consideration when defining a reinforcement schedule.
• Introduce all possible variations of the discriminative stimulus the learner will encounter.
• Response variation must occur when stimulus variations are present.

Problematic Responding in Behavior Chains

• The SD and response may occur out of sequence and require rearrangement.
• Similar SDs might evoke an incorrect response, necessitating rearrangement to reduce confusion.
• Irrelevant SDs in the natural setting may control responding and require discrimination training.
• SDs in the natural setting may differ, needing incorporation into the training environment.
• Novel stimuli may interfere with responding, requiring the stimuli incorporation and corresponding discrimination training into the training environment.

Extinction

• Extinction happens when a previously reinforced behavior no longer receives reinforcement.
• The rate of that behavior decreases in the future.
• Extinction does not prevent the target behavior from occurring.
• Extinction ends the response-reinforcer relationship.

Procedural and Functional Forms of Extinction

• Extinction should be matched to the function of the problem behavior.
• Interventions are generally effective when the form of extinction aligns with the function of the problem behavior.

Misuses of Extinction

• Extinction should only be used to describe withholding reinforcement for previously reinforced behavior.
• Extinction is only used when there is a decreasing response rate as a result of the extinction procedure.
• Extinction is only used to describe functional relation between withholding reinforcement and a decreasing rate of response.
• Extinction is not to be used for any decrease in behavior.
• Extinction is not the same as forgetting.
• Extinction is not the same as response blocking or sensory extinction.
• Extinction is not the same as noncontingent reinforcement.

Extinction Semantics Examples

• "Extinction to treat" is used to refer to extinction as a behavior change procedure.
• "Yoshiaki's call-outs undergoing extinction" is used to refer to extinction as a behavioral process.
• "Extinction decreased Yoshiaki's call-outs" refers to extinction as a principle of behavior.
• "Audrey's second-language skills have extinguished" assumes prior attempts to reinforce the language, differentiating it from forgetting.
• Recommending escape extinction requires physically guiding through a task, preventing escape from the task.
• Describing Jeremy’s eye-rubbing being blocked is an example of response blocking, not extinction.

Extinction by Type of Reinforcement

• Behaviors maintained by positive reinforcement are on extinction behaviors don't produce a reinforcer
• Behaviors maintained by negative reinforcement are on extinction when behaviors don't produce a removal of the aversive stimulus, also called "escape extinction".
• Behaviors maintained by automatic reinforcement are placed on extinction by masking or removing the sensory consequence, also called "sensory extinction" (Vollmer & Athens, 2011).

Secondary Effects of Extinction

• Extinction burst is an immediate increase in response rate when removing reinforcement.
• Extinction burst is a Common effect of the extinction procedure.
• Problem behaviors can worsen during extinction before improvement is seen.
• Response variation consists of diverse and novel forms of behavior during extinction, called extinction-induced variability (Kinloch, Foster, & McEwan, 2009; Peleg, Martin, & Hoth, 2017).
• In relation to response variation, from a layperson's perspective, the individual appears to try to find new reinforcement methods (Vollmer & Athens, 2011, p. 323).
• Initial increase in response magnitude occurs in early extinction.
• Spontaneous recovery consists of the reappearance of behavior after diminishing to pre-reinforcement level.
• Spontaneous recovery is short-lived and limited if extinction continues.
• The behavior that diminished during extinction recurs, even without reinforcement.
• Resurgence is the reoccurrence of previously reinforced behavior when reinforcement for alternative behavior is terminated or decreased.
• In regards to resurgence, first A target behavior gets reinforced.
• The target behavior is placed on extinction and reinforcement is provided for an alternative behavior.
• Both responses are placed on extinction
• Emotional outbursts and aggression occur when placing a behavior on extinction.

Variables Affecting Resistance to Extinction

• Resistance to extinction is continuous responding during an extinction procedure.
• The measures of resistance to extinction are the declining rates of response.
• Another measure of resistance to extinction is the count of responses.
• Another measure of resistance to extinction is the amount of time needed for a predetermined criterion.
• Intermittent reinforcement can produce greater resistance to extinction than continuous reinforcement.
• Some intermittent schedules cause more persistent extinction responses than others.
• The thinner the reinforcement schedule, the greater the resistance.
• Higher establishing operations increase the resistance to extinction (Keller & Schoenfeld, 1950, p. 75).
• A long reinforcement history may cause more resistance to extinction than a short reinforcement history.
• Reinforcer magnitude and quality influence extinction resistance.
• Successive conditioning applications and extinction influence resistance to extinction
• In cases like this, reapply the extinction procedure.
• Behavior decreases with fewer responses during reapplication of extinction.
• Successive extinction applications cause more rapid decreases in behavior.
• Responses that require greater effort diminish more quickly.

Using Extinction Effectively

• The effectiveness of extinction depends on correct identification of consequences responsible for problems.
• Behaviors are frequently maintained by multiple reinforcement sources.
• Limited effect may occur from Identifying and withholding one source of reinforcement.
• Consistency is essential for extinction.
• Behaviors placed on an intermittent reinforcement schedule will be resistant to extinction.
• Always combine treatments.
• Especially the reinforcement of alternative behaviors.
• Effectiveness increases when combined with other procedures.
• These can include differential reinforcement and antecedent procedures.
• These may reduce bursts and agression.
• Behaviors decline rapidly when the procedure is described to clients.
• Plan due behaviors infrequent past prominence.
• These are often are emotional and agressive
• They should not gain reinforcement. Increase extinction trials improves efficiency by accelerating process and increasing occurrences of problem behavior.
• Maximally effective includes significant others do not reinforce undesirable behavior.
• Permanent application is preferred and includes
• Escape extinction
• Attention extinction
• Some sensory extinction
• The user should guard against unintentional extinction which causes desirable behaviors unintentionally extinguished.
• Behaviors should continue to be reinforced.

When Not to Use Extinction

• Do not use extinction if the behavior is harmful.
• Do not use extinction if all sources of reinforcement cannot be withheld.
• Do not use extinction if a rapid reduction in response rate is required.
• Do not use extinction if others are likely to imitate the problem behavior.