Strohmeier Craig W, Thuman Elizabeth, Falligant John Michael, Cengher Mirela, Chin Michelle D, Kurtz Patricia F
Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Mar 18;15(3):382. doi: 10.3390/bs15030382.
Multiple schedules promote schedule thinning during treatment for challenging behavior. Some strategies for multiple-schedule-thinning progressions include dense-to-lean (DTL; gradually thinning schedules of reinforcement in small steps), fixed lean (FL; abruptly shifting to lean schedules), and terminal probe (TP; probing terminal schedule values to inform subsequent thinning steps) thinning. Recent research indicates that TP thinning offers an empirically derived process for schedule thinning to terminal schedule values. In the current investigation, we replicated, re-analyzed, and extended recent research on the TP-thinning method. The schedule-thinning outcomes were consistent with the initial investigation, indicating that longer periods of reinforcer unavailability were facilitated by TP thinning in comparison with DTL thinning. We also examined resurgence, or the temporary increase in challenging behavior after alternative behavior is placed on extinction, across a wide range of downshifts in reinforcement. When resurgence occurred across ranges of downshifts programmed for both schedule-thinning methods, it occurred more often with DTL thinning. The resurgence analyses did not reveal an exponential increase in challenging behavior as a function of downshifts in reinforcement, which is an interesting departure from recent investigations. Points of discussion include clinical implications and areas for future research on the TP-thinning method.
多种时间表在针对挑战性行为的治疗过程中促进时间表的细化。多种时间表细化进程的一些策略包括从密集到稀疏（DTL；逐步以小步骤细化强化时间表）、固定稀疏（FL；突然转向稀疏时间表）以及终端探测（TP；探测终端时间表值以指导后续的细化步骤）细化。近期研究表明，TP细化为将时间表细化至终端时间表值提供了一个基于实证得出的过程。在当前的调查中，我们重复、重新分析并扩展了近期关于TP细化方法的研究。时间表细化的结果与最初的调查一致，表明与DTL细化相比，TP细化更有利于延长强化物不可用的时间。我们还研究了在广泛的强化降低范围内替代行为消退后挑战性行为的复发，即挑战性行为的暂时增加。当在为两种时间表细化方法设定的降低范围内都出现复发时，DTL细化时复发更频繁。复发分析并未揭示挑战性行为随着强化降低呈指数增加，这与近期的调查形成了有趣的差异。讨论要点包括TP细化方法的临床意义和未来研究方向。
