Behavioral treatments can be an effective means to treat problem behavior. One of the
most common behavioral treatments is differential reinforcement of alternative behavior,
frequently implemented as functional communication training. Most demonstrations of
behavioral treatments, including functional communication training, are conducted in
highly controlled settings by trained therapists. When these treatments are implemented
in community settings (e.g., an individual's home) by caregivers, they will be
challenged, which can lead to the recurrence and sustained relapse of problem behavior.
Recurrence and relapse can be the first step in a chain that leads to treatment failure.
Fortunately, some tactics have been designed to sustain treatment effectiveness and
mitigate two forms of relapse (i.e., resurgence and renewal) that result from two of
three primary treatment challenges. These tactics function as inoculation (i.e., make
problem behavior less likely to return). However, there are no tactics designed to
specifically mitigate a third form of relapse: reinstatement
This project involves a novel inoculation tactic to mitigate reinstatement and protect
against the third common treatment challenge: extinction errors. The tactic in question
is based on substantial conceptual and empirical evidence from behavioral economics, as
well as the investigators' pilot work. The project uses an innovative
translational-treatment model to better understand which of the proposed tactics (our
novel tactic or the default standard-of-care approach) better inoculates against
extinction errors through real-world analogues. The use of a translational-treatment
model is consistent with other research examining the role of basic processes in
behavioral treatment when collateral effects are unknown, and will also engender a
thorough examination of the proposed tactics.
In Aim 1, investigators will establish a proxy response, apply treatment to that proxy
response, and examine the effectiveness of progressive ratio training in inoculating
against extinction errors and mitigating response-dependent reinstatement.
In Aim 2, investigators will establish a proxy response, apply treatment to that proxy
response, and examine the effectiveness of progressive ratio training in inoculating
against extinction errors and mitigating response-independent reinstatement. Outcomes of
this research could improve the current standard of care for behavioral treatments to
make them more effective in community application, result in the development and
validation of novel inoculation tactics, and significantly improve the lives of
individuals with IDD.