Using Behavioral Economics to Mitigate Relapse of Problem Behavior in an Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Population

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare a novel tactic for mitigating reinstatement compared to the current standard of care approach using a translational-treatment model. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. how well does progressive ratio training mitigate response-dependent reinstatement compared to the standard of care approach? 2. how well does progressive ratio training mitigate response-independent reinstatement compared to the standard of care approach?

Description

Eligibility

Age range

6–21 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

No

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Progressive Ratio Training (PRT)

  Progressive ratio training (PRT) is used to prevent recurrence of the proxy response when extinction errors occur. PRT involves providing a reinforcer for the proxy response on a geometric progressive ratio (PR) scale. The schedule requirement will increase for the target response each time a reinforcer is delivered. For example, once a reinforcer is delivered on the PR-2 schedule, the requirement will increase to a PR-4, then to a PR-8, -16, -32, etc.

• Behavioral
  Differential Reinforcement of Alternative (DRA) Behavior with Extinction

  In DRA with extinction, the proxy for problem behavior is placed on extinction and no longer produces reinforcement. The proxy for communication behavior produces reinforcement on a fixed-ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement.

Locations (2)