Increasing social time allocation and concomitant effects on mands, item engagement, and rigid or repetitive behavior

Abstract

Recent research has developed methods of assessing the function of generic, nonindividualized social interactions. The purpose of this type of assessment is to provide a measure of how an individual may respond to the types of interactions readily available in the natural environment. To date, no research has evaluated how the social time allocation of individuals for whom generic interactions are neutral or aversive could be improved. Moreover, no research has included additional dependent variables that may be functionally related to social time allocation. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of initiating preferred, individualized social interactions on the social time allocation of 3 participants for whom generic interactions functioned as neutral or aversive stimuli. The intervention increased social time allocation for all 3 participants. Next, we evaluated the relation between social time allocation and the occurrence of mands, item engagement, and rigid or repetitive behavior using the intervention data as well as secondary analyses of previously published datasets. The occurrence of mands and rigid or repetitive behaviors changed with improvements in social time allocation and were strongly correlated with social time allocation across participants. Implications for future research on, and the clinical use of, this type of assessment and intervention are discussed.

The matching law provides a quantitative description of social time allocation in children with autism

“…This was done to keep the procedures of the current study consistent with previous assessments of sociability in which the rate, magnitude, and quality of social interaction could vary based on participants' behavior. However, Morris and Vollmer (2022) demonstrated that the occurrence of mands for specific types of play or social interaction and the availability of more preferred, individualized social interactions can greatly affect social time allocation. Thus, considering and controlling the rate and quality or magnitude of social interactions could account for more variance in each participant's data and help to explain differences in responding across participants.…”

“…Within the matching and choice literature, the role of programmed discriminative stimuli (e.g., Bradshaw et al, 1976) as well as the discriminative function of reinforcement (e.g., Baum, 2012; Lattal, 1975) or stimuli which are correlated with reinforcement (e.g., Shahan, 2010; 2017; Shahan et al, 2006) have also been considered as other important underlying mechanisms. Similarly, recent research on assessments of sociability (Morris & Vollmer, 2022) has discussed the importance of therapists as discriminative stimuli and the discriminative value of social interaction as an important mechanism underlying social time allocation. The relative influence of each of these different mechanisms (sensitivity, reinforcer value, and discriminative control) remains unclear.…”

“…We also calculated the risk ratios for social and alone switches (as described by Morris & Vollmer, 2020a; 2022). Risk ratios were included to quantify the degree to which therapist movement made social or avoidant switches more or less likely to occur relative to how likely they were in general (i.e., regardless of therapist movement).…”

“…These types of assessments are termed assessments of sociability because a participant's social time allocation is determined, at least in part, by the (a) function of generic, nonindividualized interactions, (b) the participant's ability to solicit more preferred interactions from the therapist, and (c) the relative reinforcing efficacy (RRE) of those more preferred interactions. Additionally, recent research (Morris & Vollmer, 2022) suggests that the RRE of alternative sources of reinforcement available within the assessment (e.g., rigid or repetitive behavior) may play a role. These variables combine or interact to determine whether social interaction in general will function as a reinforcing, neutral, or aversive stimulus.…”

“…All of these modifications reduced the complexity of assessments and the amount of time required to complete the assessment. Most recently, Morris and Vollmer (2022) measured additional dependent variables such as mands, item engagement, and rigid or repetitive behavior and demonstrated that social time allocation could be increased by including preferred interactions. These additions resulted in a more comprehensive measure of sociability and provided a template for interventions based on, and evaluated within, assessments of sociability.…”