Interaction of Reinforcement Schedules, a Behavioral Prosthesis, and Work-Related Behavior in Adults with Mental Retardation

Autor/inn/en	Saunders, Richard R.; McEntee, Julie E.; Saunders, Muriel D.
Titel	Interaction of Reinforcement Schedules, a Behavioral Prosthesis, and Work-Related Behavior in Adults with Mental Retardation
Quelle	In: Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 38 (2005) 2, S.163 (14 Seiten) PDF als Volltext (1); PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei (2) Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0021-8855
Schlagwörter	Reinforcement; Vocational Education; Behavior Problems; Severe Mental Retardation; Adults; Behavior Modification; Time on Task; Productivity + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Positive Verstärkung; Ausbildung; Berufsbildung; Behaviour modification; Verhaltensänderung; Zeitaufwand; Produktivität
Abstract	The effects of variable-interval (VI) and fixed-ratio (FR) schedules of reinforcement for work-related behavior and an organizer for the work materials (behavioral prosthesis) were evaluated with 3 adults with severe or profound mental retardation. The participants had been recommended for study because of high rates of off-task and aberrant behavior in their daily vocational training programs. For 2 participants, VI and FR schedules resulted in the same outcome: more aberrant behavior than on-task and off-task behavior combined. The FR schedule nearly eliminated emission of aberrant and off-task behavior by the 3rd participant. Combining the behavioral prosthesis with FR reinforcement (FR+O) increased the proportion of time spent in on-task behavior by all participants under certain FR schedule parameters. Second-by-second analyses of the observation records revealed that FR schedules reduced off-task and aberrant behavior during work sequences (i.e., ratio runs), and FR+O led to a further reduction of these behaviors during postreinforcement pauses. Overall, the results show how organizer and schedule parameters can be adjusted to produce an optimized balance between productivity and reinforcement while undesirable behavior is minimized (Author).
Anmerkungen	Department of Applied Behavioral Science, 1000 Sunnyside Ave., KU, Lawrence, KS 66045-2133. Web site: http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu.
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10