A functional analysis, conducted to assess the variables maintaining the chronic eye poking of a female diagnosed with profound mental retardation, indicated that the behavior persisted in the absence of social contingencies. A procedure was initiated in a training environment in which a punisher (mild reprimand) was delivered contingent on eye poking in the presence, but not in the absence, of a neutral stimulus (wristbands). Using a combination of multiple baseline and multielement experimental designs, it was determined that that eye poking was suppressed in the presence of the previously neutral stimulus, even in environments in which the reprimand contingency was inoperative.

Because low rate, covert responses are hard to observe and measure (e.g., Azrin & Wesolowski, 1974; Henderson, 1981; Jeffery, 1969; Reid & Patterson, 1976; Seymour & Epston, 1989), well-controlled behavior analytic investigations of stealing have been rare. In fact, systematic investigations to experimentally determine stealing functions have been limited to two studies targeting food (Lambert et al., 2019; Simmons, Akers, & Fisher, 2019). The dearth of studies examining stealing functions, partly attributable to low rate and covertness, may be forestalling additional intervention studies. Given the likely futility of unsystematic attempts to observe naturally occurring instances of an infrequent, clandestine response, a possible role for indirect assessment emerges (Iwata & Dozier, 2008). This two-part study concerned an investigation into the reliability and predictive validity of the Functional Analysis Screening Tool (Iwata, DeLeon, & Roscoe, 2013) and a similarly constructed tool (The Stealing Inventory or TSI) with the latter having questions oriented towards likely stealing functions. In doing so, the comparative viability of two trial-based functional analysis (FA) models (Bloom, Iwata, Fritz, Roscoe, & Carreau, 2011; Lambert, Bloom, & Irvin, 2012) was also examined. Across 42 respondent pairs, overall tool reliability and outcome reliability for suggested functions favored the TSI (85% and 92.9%, respectively) over the FAST (80% and 73.8%, respectively). Three out of 6 participants stole during one of their two respective FAs, and the identified function matched the respective TSI outcomes for each case. FA model superiority was unclear.

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is a possible alternative to differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) that may operate through a similar mechanism. In the research, the participant's problem behaviors were maintained by automatic reinforcement or even multiply maintained. NCR is the method to intervene with the participant who had no clinical effect on using sensory integration therapy (SIT) to reduce problem behaviors in the previous study. The results showed that NCR is an effective way to decrease the problem behaviors without extinction burst.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:20:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Renata de Moura Guedes.pdf: 382361 bytes, checksum: 78386e6613f66930866d495763d3d27f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-08-09 / The present study conducted a comparative analysis of three different procedures, Stimulus Equivalence, Automatic Reinforcement and Direct Reinforcement. Its aim was to investigate the efficacy of these procedures for naming acquisition. Six children who were between five and eleven years old with moderate language delay participated. Nine stimuli were selected for each participant, three for each procedure. Findings do not suggest that there is a substantial difference between the participants´performance in the experiments; therefore one can not affirm that a procedure is better than the other. The results indicate that the difference in the children s repertoire is a relevant factor to understand the disparity of results found in this study. / O presente estudo realizou uma análise comparativa de três procedimentos diferentes, a Equivalência de Estímulos, o Reforçamento Automático e o Reforçamento Direto com o intuito de investigar a eficácia dos mesmos para a aquisição do nomear. Seis participantes que tinham entre cinco e onze anos com atraso de linguagem moderado participaram do estudo. Foram selecionados nove estímulos para cada participante, sendo três para cada procedimento. Os resultados deste estudo não sugerem que exista uma diferença substancial entre o desempenho dos participantes nos experimentos, assim não se pode afirmar que um experimento seja melhor que outro. Os resultados indicam que a diferença nos repertórios dos participantes é um fator importante para a disparidade dos resultados encontrados neste estudo.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:20:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ellen Portilho de Souza.pdf: 1371955 bytes, checksum: 3ec9f0f9cb974638e8fca9566dbc2586 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-12-10 / This study aimed to functionally analyze and assess a series of treatments for the reduction of self-injurious behavior on a person with development disability. The assignment was carried out in a special education institute in central Goiás, and the subject was a 26-years-old female. Two experimental designs, multiple elements and alternate treatments, were applied. In order to assess the antecedents and consequents of self-injuring behavior, a functional assessment process was used, which included (1) indirect assessment through interview, (2) direct observation, and (3) functional analysis, through the design of multiple conditions using the following: attention, demand, control, and alone. The attention condition was subdivided into three sub conditions: shared attention, attention-reprimand, and noncontingent attention. The demand condition was subdivided into two kinds of academic demand: shape fitting and reading activities. The alone condition was subdivided into: alone with activity and alone without activities. The use of an intervention program through the design of ABCAD alternate treatments was chosen to intervene in self injurious behavior. The results suggest selfinjurious behavior has the role of self-stimulation, i.e., automatic reinforcement. The demand condition as an establishing operation for the emission of these behaviors and negative reinforcement was also discussed. Conditions of 30-seconds fixed-time (B) and differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors (D) resulted in reduction on the frequency of these behaviors. Density reduction of the noncontingent design as the responsible for the increase of self-injurious behavior frequency on condition (C) was also discussed. / O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar uma série de tratamentos para diminuição do comportamento autolesivo de uma pessoa com desenvolvimento atípico após avaliação funcional. O trabalho foi realizado em uma instituição de ensino especial do interior de Goiás e teve como participante uma pessoa adulta, sexo feminino e 26 anos. Foram empregados dois delineamentos experimentais: o de múltiplos elementos e o de tratamentos alternados. Para avaliar os antecedentes e consequentes do comportamento autolesivo, foi usado processo de avaliação funcional que incluiu (1) avaliação indireta por meio de entrevista, (2) observação direta e, (3) análise funcional, por meio do delineamento de múltiplas condições utilizando as condições: atenção, demanda, e controle e sozinha. A condição de atenção foi subdivida em três subcondições: atenção-dividida, atenção-reprimenda e atenção não contingente. A condição demanda foi subdivida em: demanda encaixe e demanda leitura. A condição sozinha foi subdivida em: sozinha c atividade e sozinha sem atividades. Para intervir no comportamento autolesivo, optou-se pelo uso de um programa de intervenção por meio do delineamento de tratamentos alternados do tipo ABCAD. Os resultados sugerem que o comportamento autolesivo tem função de autoestimulação, ou seja, reforçamento automático. Também foi discutida a condição de demanda como operação estabelecedora para emissão desses comportamentos e reforçamento negativo. As condições de tempo-fixo 30 segundos (B) e reforçamento diferencial de comportamentos alternativos (D) ocasionaram redução na frequência desses comportamentos. Discute-se ainda a diminuição da densidade do esquema não-contingente como sendo responsável pelo aumento da frequência do comportamento autolesivo na condição (C).