Differential Responding in the Presence and Absence of Discriminative Stimuli During Multielement Functional Analyses

Abstract

We evaluated the extent to which discriminative stimuli (S D s) facilitate differential responding during multielement functional analyses. Eight individuals, all diagnosed with mental retardation and referred for assessment and treatment of self-injurious behavior (SIB) or aggression, participated. Functional analyses consisted of four or five assessment conditions alternated in multielement designs. Each condition was initially correlated with a specific therapist and a specific room color (S D s), and sessions continued until higher rates of target behaviors were consistently observed under a specific test condition. In a subsequent analysis, the programmed S D s were removed (i.e., all conditions were now conducted by the same therapist in the same room), and sessions continued until differential responding was observed or until twice as many sessions were conducted with the S D s absent (as opposed to present), whichever came first. Results indicated that the inclusion of programmed S D s facilitated discrimination among functional analysis conditions for half of the participants. These results suggest that the inclusion of salient cues may increase either the efficiency of functional analyses or the likelihood of obtaining clear assessment outcomes.

A preliminary investigation on improving functional communication training by mitigating resurgence of destructive behavior

“…To facilitate discrimination between functional analysis conditions, we paired each condition with a unique, color-correlated shirt worn by the therapist throughout the session (Conners et al, 2000). The functional analysis continued until we identified one or more clear functions for each child's destructive behavior.…”

A comparison of differential reinforcement and noncontingent reinforcement for the treatment of a child's multiply controlled problem behavior

“…In the current study, there was differential responding during the functional analysis conditions when the discriminative stimulus (i.e. the academic activity) was present (Conners et al, 2000). Future research should evaluate the use of a modified attention condition in typically functioning children in an academic situation if an attention function is suspected but the traditional attention condition does identify attention maintained problem behavior.…”

Effects of Fixed Versus Random Condition Sequencing During Multielement Functional Analyses

“…Specific stimuli (different experimenters, colored shirts, and session areas) were associated with each FA condition to enhance discrimination of the contingencies in effect (Conners et al, 2000).…”

“…Other research has shown that discriminative stimuli (S D s) may facilitate differential responding during multielement FAs by making differences among conditions more salient. Conners et al (2000) showed that correlating S D s, such as different therapists and room colors, with each condition produced either faster or clearer results for four of eight subjects. This procedure is noteworthy because it exemplifies a simple antecedent manipulation that may increase the likelihood of obtaining clear outcomes during multielement FAs.…”