Prevalence of resurgence of destructive behavior when thinning reinforcement schedules during functional communication training

• Published in: Journal of applied behavior analysis Vol. 51; no. 3; pp. 620 - 633
• Main Authors: Briggs, Adam M., Fisher, Wayne W., Greer, Brian D., Kimball, Ryan T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.07.2018; Wiley Periodicals, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Behavior Modification; Behavior Problems; Behavior Therapy - methods; Child; Child, Preschool; Conditioning, Operant; differential reinforcement; extinction burst; Extinction, Psychological; Female; functional communication training; Humans; Incidence; Male; Problem Behavior - psychology; Recurrence; Reinforcement; Reinforcement (Psychology); Reinforcement Schedule; reinforcement schedule thinning; resurgence; Young Adult; extinction burst; differential reinforcement; resurgence; reinforcement schedule thinning; functional communication training
• ISSN: 0021-8855; 1938-3703
• DOI: 10.1002/jaba.472

Functional communication training is a well‐established treatment for socially reinforced destructive behavior that typically includes differential reinforcement of the functional communication response (FCR) in combination with extinction of destructive behavior. However, when the schedule of reinforcement for the FCR is thinned, destructive behavior may resurge (e.g., Greer, Fisher, Saini, Owen, & Jones, 2016). Currently, data are unavailable on the prevalence and characteristics of resurgence during reinforcement schedule thinning. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of resurgence during reinforcement schedule thinning on a per‐case and per‐schedule‐step basis and also evaluated the magnitude of resurgence in relation to the functions of destructive behavior. We observed resurgence in 19 of the 25 (76%) applications of reinforcement schedule thinning. In some cases, the magnitude of resurgence exceeded the mean levels of destructive behavior observed in baseline. We discuss these results relative to prior translational and applied research on resurgence.