Assessment and Treatment Analysis of Automatically Reinforced Behaviors: Examining the Relationship Between Physiological Responses and Aberrant Behaviors
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Assessment and Treatment Analysis of Automatically Reinforced Behaviors: Examining the Relationship between Physiological Responses and Aberrant Behaviors by Nancy I. Salinas, M.A., BCBA, LBA A Dissertation In Special Education Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved Stacy L. Carter, Ph.D., BCBA-D Chair of Committee Robin H. Lock, Ph.D. Stephanie L. Hart, Ed.D., BCBA-D Mark Sheridan, Ph.D. Dean of Graduate School August, 2018 Copyright 2018 Nancy Salinas Texas Tech University, Nancy Salinas, August 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Stacy Carter for his encouragement and support throughout the entire process of completing this dissertation. His keen advice helped to develop this study into a work that I can feel excited and proud of. I’m extremely grateful for having him as my committee chair and as someone I can always count on. I greatly appreciate the help from my thesis committee members, Dr. Robin Lock and Dr. Stephanie Hart. I am thankful to both of you for believing in my ability to accomplish this task. I also want to thank Erika Salinas, Claudia Goswitz, Jessica Matus, and Liz Tomko for facilitating various aspects of this study. Jacky and Angelique have been my inspiration and joy which has been instrumental for completing this endeavor. I am especially grateful to Shawn Happe for being the most patient and open-minded sounding board. Without his support, this project would not have come to fruition. Thank you! ii Texas Tech University, Nancy Salinas, August 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ ii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................ xiii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................x LIST OF NOMENCLATURE .................................................................................................... xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................... xiii I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ...........................................................................................................6 Purpose and Signifance ..............................................................................................................7 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................7 Theoretical Framework and Assumptions .................................................................................7 Radical Behaviorism ............................................................................................................7 Environmental Restriction & Arousal Modulation Theories ...............................................9 Operant/Respondent Model of Arousal .............................................................................11 Limitations ...............................................................................................................................12 Organization of Study ..............................................................................................................12 Summary ..................................................................................................................................13 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................14 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................14 Literature Review Outcomes ...................................................................................................16 Participants .........................................................................................................................16 Types of Automatically Reinforced Behaviors Targetted .................................................17 Stereotypies (Non-SIB) ................................................................................................17 Self-Injurious Behaviors ..............................................................................................20 Motor and Vocal Tics ..................................................................................................22 Higher Order Behaviors ...............................................................................................22 Functional Assessments .....................................................................................................24 Functional Analysis (FA) .............................................................................................24 Types of FAs ...........................................................................................................25 Functions of FAs .....................................................................................................26 Automatic Negative Reinforcement ..................................................................................31 Studies with Hypothesized ANR Function (Not Tested) .............................................32 iii Texas Tech University, Nancy Salinas, August 2018 Studies that Tested for ANR with Conflicting or Positive Results ..............................33 Hypothesized ANR Based on Physiological Data .......................................................34 Types of Interventions .......................................................................................................36 Socially Mediated Interventions: Antecedents ............................................................37 Socially Mediated Interventions: Consequences .........................................................46 Combination of Antecedent and Consequent Packages...............................................52 Nonsocial Mediated Interventions ...............................................................................56 Journals Used for Publication ............................................................................................57 Conclusions of the Functional Analysis and AR Review Results .....................................58 Limitations of the Literature Review ...........................................................................59 Resaerch Questions & Gaps in the Literature ..............................................................60 Summary ..................................................................................................................................62 III. METHOD ...............................................................................................................................63 Research Questions and Hypotheses .......................................................................................63 Rationale ..................................................................................................................................64 Data Sources ............................................................................................................................64 Participants ...............................................................................................................................65 Recruitment of Participants................................................................................................65 Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria ..............................................................................................66 Characteristics of Participants............................................................................................66 Procedures ................................................................................................................................70 Independent and Dependent Variables ..............................................................................71 Response Measurement, IOA, Procedural Integrity .........................................................72 Recording Technique .........................................................................................................77 Research Design.................................................................................................................77 Phase I Protocols ................................................................................................................78 Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) ..........................................................78 Preference Assessment.................................................................................................79 Habituation ...................................................................................................................79 Experimental Functional Analysis ...............................................................................80 Phase II Protocols ..............................................................................................................82 Reinforcer Assessment.................................................................................................82