Podlesnik Christopher A, Miranda-Dukoski Ludmila, Jonas Chan C K, Bland Vikki J, Bai John Y H
Florida Institute of Technology and The Scott Center for Autism Treatment.
The University of Auckland.
J Exp Anal Behav. 2017 Sep;108(2):255-268. doi: 10.1002/jeab.272. Epub 2017 Aug 3.
Differential-reinforcement treatments reduce target problem behavior in the short term but at the expense of making it more persistent long term. Basic and translational research based on behavioral momentum theory suggests that combining features of stimuli governing an alternative response with the stimuli governing target responding could make target responding less persistent. However, changes to the alternative stimulus context when combining alternative and target stimuli could diminish the effectiveness of the alternative stimulus in reducing target responding. In an animal model with pigeons, the present study reinforced responding in the presence of target and alternative stimuli. When combining the alternative and target stimuli during extinction, we altered the alternative stimulus through changes in line orientation. We found that (1) combining alternative and target stimuli in extinction more effectively decreased target responding than presenting the target stimulus on its own; (2) combining these stimuli was more effective in decreasing target responding trained with lower reinforcement rates; and (3) changing the alternative stimulus reduced its effectiveness when it was combined with the target stimulus. Therefore, changing alternative stimuli (e.g., therapist, clinical setting) during behavioral treatments that combine alternative and target stimuli could reduce the effectiveness of those treatments in disrupting problem behavior.
差别强化治疗在短期内可减少目标问题行为，但代价是使该行为在长期内更具持续性。基于行为动量理论的基础研究和转化研究表明，将控制替代反应的刺激特征与控制目标反应的刺激相结合，可能会降低目标反应的持续性。然而，在组合替代刺激和目标刺激时改变替代刺激情境，可能会削弱替代刺激在减少目标反应方面的有效性。在一项以鸽子为对象的动物模型研究中，本研究对在目标刺激和替代刺激出现时的反应进行强化。在消退过程中组合替代刺激和目标刺激时，我们通过改变线条方向来改变替代刺激。我们发现：（1）在消退过程中组合替代刺激和目标刺激比单独呈现目标刺激更有效地减少了目标反应；（2）组合这些刺激在减少以较低强化率训练的目标反应方面更有效；（3）当替代刺激与目标刺激组合时，改变替代刺激会降低其有效性。因此，在组合替代刺激和目标刺激的行为治疗过程中改变替代刺激（如治疗师、临床环境），可能会降低这些治疗在扰乱问题行为方面的有效性。
