Chapter 10

Maintaining Behavior Changes

Relapses in Behavior

behavior can regress after goals have been attained• a relapse is an extended return to original patterns

of behavior• relapse often occurs when commitment is low• relapses can follow many types of treatment

Why Relapses Occur

• relapses may occur when one encounters antecedents associated with the problem behavior

• relapses are more likely if the new behavior is not firmly established

• self-efficacy factors may play a role in relapses

Thinning Reinforcement

help prevent relapse by thinning reinforcement• thinning is accomplished by applying schedules of

reinforcement• schedules of reinforcement reduce the number of

responses reinforced or increase the time interval between reinforcers

• thinning should be introduced gradually enough to prevent extinction

Schedules of Reinforcement

• intermittent reinforcement schedules reinforce only some behaviors

• ratio schedules reinforce based on the number of responses that occur– fixed-ratio schedules define a constant number

of required responses– variable-ratio schedules vary the number of

responses that must occur

Schedules of Reinforcement (continued)

• interval schedules reinforce the first response after a period of time has passed– fixed-interval schedules reinforce the first

response after a fixed amount of time has passed since the last reinforcer was delivered

– variable-interval schedules reinforce the first response after varying periods of time since the last reinforcer was delivered

Schedules of Reinforcement (continued)

• duration schedules require that a behavior occur for a period of time before being reinforced

• schedules can be combined to create more complex schedules of reinforcement

Intermittent Reinforcement

Effects of Ratio Schedules

• ratio schedules maintain high rates of responding• variable-ratio schedules maintain higher rates than

fixed-ratio schedules• Fixed-ratio schedules maintain a post-

reinforcement pause• generally, as response requirements increase, so

do rates of responding• too high a requirement causes ratio strain

Fixed Ratio Schedule Patterns

Variable Ratio Schedule Patterns

Effects of Interval Schedules

• interval schedules maintain moderate rates of responding

• fixed-interval schedules maintain rates that accelerate through each interval

• variable interval schedules maintain consistent, moderate rates through each interval

• fixed-interval schedules maintain a “scalloped” pattern of responding

Fixed Interval Schedule Patterns

Variable Interval Schedule Patterns

Intermittent Reinforcement and Extinction

• extinction seems to create greater resistance to extinction than CRF

• animal research by Nevin suggests the opposite is true

• variable schedules are more resistant to extinction than fixed schedules of reinforcement

Delaying Reinforcement

• delays in reinforcement interfere with acquisition of behavior

• after a behavior is established, the introduction of brief delays may serve to strengthen behavior

• such delays make behavior more resistant to extinction

Increasing Natural Reinforcement: Applying

Natural Reinforcersreinforcers that naturally occur in the individual's life

assist in the transition from treatment to the real world

• assess available reinforcers in the individual's everyday environment

• social reinforcers such as praise are a class of common real-world reinforcers

Increasing Natural Reinforcement: Applying

Natural Reinforcers (continued)• seek environments that provide opportunities to

successfully engage in acquired skills• increase likelihood that appropriate consequences

are available to maintain the new skills

Increasing Natural Reinforcers: Training

when the environment can not support the new behavior, the individual and those in the environment can be taught more appropriate responses

• target individuals can be trained to find ways to be reinforced

• in some environments, others can be taught to use tokens and social reinforcers

• in some environments, others can be trained in behavioral techniques

Training with Everyday Antecedents

intervention and natural conditions should be made more similar

• fade prompts that will not be present in the natural environment

• conduct some of the treatment in the natural environment

• bring aspects of the natural environment into the therapy setting

Widening Stimulus Control

steps that widen stimulus control tend to promote generalization

• increase the variety of individuals, materials, or settings

• general case training is a more formalized approach to widening stimulus control– specify the exact situation in which behavior

should occur after training

Widening Stimulus Control (continued)

– identify a range of teaching examples that reflect the natural settings where behavior should occur

– teach the examples• general case training is one of the most effective

generalization procedures

Enhancing Self-Regulation Skills

enhancement of self-regulation skills may best promote generalization

• self-regulation skills help in generalization of social skills

• self-regulation skills help in reduction of fears

General Procedures to Enhance Generalization

generalization programs can benefit from a combination of:

• fading prompts• widening stimulus control• thinning reinforcement• self-regulation training

Posttreatment Programs

• booster programs offer refresher sessions• Marlatt's lapse prevention method teaches relapse

prevention in three steps:– learn to identify high-risk situations– acquire coping skills– practice coping skills in high-risk settings

Tips on Maintaining Behavior Change

• focus interventions on behavior that will be useful in the person's natural environment

• associate new behaviors with antecedents common to the natural environment

• monitor behavior carefully when introducing new treatments

• thin to a variable schedule of reinforcement

Tips on Maintaining Behavior Change (continued)

• assess potential natural reinforcers prior to completion of intervention

• target behaviors should be applicable to everyday life