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Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
07:01

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Published on: March 1, 2019

Resistance to disruption in a classroom setting.

Diana E Parry-Cruwys1, Carrie M Neal, William H Ahearn

  • 1New England Center for Children, Southborough, Massachusetts 01772, USA.

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|June 29, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Behavior reinforced on denser schedules shows greater resistance to disruption. This study confirmed this principle in an educational setting with participants with developmental disabilities, supporting behavioral momentum theory.

Keywords:
behavioral momentumbehavioral persistencemultiple schedules, developmental disabilitiesrelative reinforcement density

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral psychology
  • Educational psychology
  • Developmental disabilities research

Background:

  • Behavioral momentum theory posits that behavior reinforced on denser schedules is more resistant to disruption.
  • Previous research extensively supports this theory in laboratory settings.
  • The current study aimed to validate these findings within a natural educational context.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the resistance to disruption of behavior reinforced on a multiple variable-interval schedule in an educational setting.
  • To assess the applicability of behavioral momentum theory in real-world educational environments for individuals with developmental disabilities.
  • To measure how distracting stimuli affect response rates under different reinforcement schedules.

Main Methods:

  • Six participants with developmental disabilities were studied in a natural educational setting.
  • Responding was reinforced using a multiple variable-interval (VI) 7-s VI 30-s schedule during familiar activities.
  • Resistance to disruption was assessed by introducing a distracting item and comparing response rates during disruption to baseline rates.

Main Results:

  • For 5 out of 6 participants, the results aligned with the predictions of behavioral momentum theory.
  • Behavior reinforced on the denser VI schedule (VI 7-s) demonstrated greater resistance to disruption compared to the thinner schedule (VI 30-s).
  • Response rates decreased during the introduction of distracting stimuli, but the pattern of resistance was consistent with theoretical predictions for most participants.

Conclusions:

  • Behavioral momentum theory's predictions regarding reinforcement density and resistance to disruption were largely supported in a natural educational setting.
  • The findings suggest that reinforcement schedule density is a critical factor in maintaining behavior in the face of distractions for individuals with developmental disabilities.
  • This research highlights the practical implications of behavioral momentum theory for designing effective educational interventions.