Reinforcement Of Behavior Research Articles

Functional Analysis and Successful Treatment of a Captive Rhesus Macaque’s Disruptive Behavior

ABSTRACT Functional analysis (FA) is a method developed and used by behavior analysts in human clinical settings to identify possible environmental variables that reinforce undesired behavior. FA is increasingly being applied to better understand the behavior of nonhuman animals. When training monkeys in a room with others, disruptive behavior displayed by neighboring monkeys can impede training progress. In the present study, a FA identified possible reinforcers of disruptive behavior (loud shaking of a toy) exhibited frequently (24% duration pre-treatment) by a rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) during in-room training sessions. The functional analysis identified that contingent delivery of foods was maintaining the disruptive behavior, with a mean percent duration of 57% in this condition. The implementation of a function-based treatment consisting of continuous access to a preferred food during in-room training sessions successfully decreased disruptive behavior by over 90% as measured during 15 subsequent sessions. This study advances the current literature applying functional analysis to nonhuman primates as a means of determining the reinforcers maintaining aberrant or undesirable behavior and applying effective treatments based on understanding this function.

Playing cancer at its own game: activating mitogenic signaling as a paradoxical intervention.

In psychotherapy, paradoxical interventions are characterized by a deliberate reinforcement of the pathological behavior to improve the clinical condition. Such a counter‐intuitive approach can be considered when more conventional interventions fail. The development of targeted cancer therapies has enabled the selective inhibition of activated oncogenic signaling pathways. However, in advanced cancers, such therapies, on average, deliver modest benefits due to the development of resistance. Here, we review the perspective of a ‘paradoxical intervention’ in cancer therapy: rather than attempting to inhibit oncogenic signaling, the proposed therapy would further activate mitogenic signaling to disrupt the labile homeostasis of cancer cells and overload stress response pathways. Such overactivation can potentially be combined with stress‐targeted drugs to kill overstressed cancer cells. Although counter‐intuitive, such an approach exploits intrinsic and ubiquitous differences between normal and cancer cells. We discuss the background underlying this unconventional approach and how such intervention might address some current challenges in cancer therapy.

The categorical framework of the theory of the formation of communicative creativity of university students

The role of communication, the specifics and flow of communication processes and, accordingly, the requirements for their participants, is increasing in modern society and in all spheres of professional activity. In this connection, the problem of the formation of the communicative creativity of students at the stage of professional training at the university is actualized. At present, this aspect of the vocational training of students in technical areas lacks attention both in theory and in the practice of vocational education. The article examines the theoretical foundations of the theory of the formation of the communicative creativity of university students, interpreted as a set of interrelated and interdependent components that represent a certain integrity based on the use of a set of scientific approaches: systemic, participatory and discursive, implemented on the basis of the principles: transformation of cognitive content into emotional, freedom choice of communications, social reinforcement of creative behavior. The scientific approaches considered in the article were the theoretical foundations for the development of the theory of the formation of the communicative creativity of university students. The materials of the article are of practical value for organizing the process of vocational training in the context of the development of the communicative creativity of students.

The Effects of Signaled Delays on the Effectiveness of Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO) Reinforcement Systems

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is a commonly used reinforcement-based system for reducing problem behavior. DRO systems are particularly useful in that they are effective for the treatment of maladaptive behavior and can be individualized based on the needs of the learner. One possible way to enhance the effectiveness of DRO systems is the use of signaled delays. In the present study, the effectiveness of signaled and unsignaled DRO systems was compared for the treatment of stereotypical behavior in three adolescents and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Results from this study suggested that while the unsignaled DRO condition was effective at reducing stereotypical behavior for one of three participants, the signaled DRO condition was effective for all three participants.

A Paradox of Best Healthcare Systems and Large COVID-19 Burden: Review of 1 Year of COVID-19 Epidemiology and Public Health Response in Europe

Background: Europe continues to be the global epicentre of COVID-19 virus. This study focuses on the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Europe and investigates the public health response in severely-hit European countries.Methods: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker and Health System Response Monitor were referred to extract data. The relationship between stringency index and COVID-19 cases, and between speed of stringency implementation and growth of cases was examined using linear regression.Findings: The case-fatality ratio (CFR) of Europe (2.34%) was almost equal to the global CFR (2.2%), and higher than CFR observed in South-East Asia (1.53%). United Kingdom, Russia, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany together, accounted for 61.14% of cases and 65.61% of deaths in Europe. Significant relationship was observed between growth of COVID-19 cases and late substantive stringency imposed by countries. Population aged 65 and above (r=0.897, pInterpretation: A third wave along with sluggish vaccine rollouts, concerns over AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine and spread of new variants in Europe has necessitated a reinforcement of infection prevention practices and responsible behaviour as a part of “the new normal”.Funding Statement: This study is non-funded.Declaration of Interests: No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).

Coaching via Telehealth: Caregiver-Mediated Interventions for Young Children on the Waitlist for an Autism Diagnosis Using Single-Case Design.

Years can elapse between parental suspicion of a developmental delay and a diagnostic assessment, ultimately delaying access to medically necessary, autism-specific intervention. Using a single-case, concurrent multiple baseline design, autism spectrum disorder symptomology (i.e., higher-order restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests; higher-order RRBIs) was targeted in toddlers (21–35 months) waiting for a diagnostic appointment. Caregivers were coached via telehealth to mediate early intervention to decrease interfering, inflexible higher-order RRBIs during play using four evidence-based applied behavior analytic strategies: modeling, prompting, differential reinforcement of appropriate behaviors, and response interruption and redirection. Six mother–child dyads were recruited from pediatrician offices and early intervention service districts in the United States. All families were considered under-served, under-resourced, or living in rural locations. A visual analysis of the data combined with Tau-U revealed a strong basic effect between the intervention package and parent strategy use and child flexible and inflexible behavior. Findings were consistent across participants with one exception demonstrating a moderate effect for flexible behaviors yet a strong effect for inflexible behaviors. Standardized mean difference was beyond zero for all participants. Implications for science and practice include support for early intervention of higher-order RRBIs for young children with and at risk for ASD.

Parents preferences and willingness towards their children's oral health

Background: Childhood caries may result into severe impairment of both general and oral health. One factor which plays an important role in the development of childhood dental caries is the family. Especially for children under the age of 10, parents can be considered the most important factor in caries prevention. Parents play a fundamental role in the initiation and reinforcement of these oral health-related behaviours. This study aims to evaluate the parental willingness to invest (WTI) in the oral health of their child in terms of money and time and to relate this to oral health behaviour (OHB) aspects. Methods: A sample of 167, six to seven year old children studying in 1st and 2nd standard were recruited from SVET English School, Attibele, Bangalore. Screening was done to examine the DMFT scores of the Children. A structured parental questionnaires was used to collect data on parents WTI and children OHB. Results: Results showed that 60% parents supervised their child tooth brushing, 44.2% parents were willing to spend a maximum of 50 to 100 rupee per month to keep their childs mouth healthy, 47.9% were willing to spend 1 to 2 brushing minutes per day, 35.8% were not willing to visit dentist even once a year to maintain good oral health for their child. Conclusion: Results suggest that children are better off when parents are willing to invest in terms of brushing minutes, money and visit to a dentist per year to maintain good oral health of their children.

Resurgence Following Traditional and Interdependent Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior.

Clinicians frequently prescribe functional communication training (FCT) as a treatment for severe destructive behavior. Recent research has shown that FCT treatments are susceptible to treatment relapse in the form of resurgence of destructive behavior when individuals contact periods in which reinforcers are unavailable. Results of preliminary studies suggest that teaching multiple response alternatives can mitigate the resurgence of target behavior. The current evaluation serves as a preliminary study in which we used a laboratory arrangement to evaluate the effects of a novel approach to training multiple alternative responses on the resurgence of target behavior. Findings showed that multiple-response training did not decrease resurgence of target responding consistently; however, it increased the total amount of target and alternative responding observed during the resurgence phase and decreased the overall probability of the target response.

The aversion positivity: Mediofrontal cortical potentials reflect parametric aversive prediction errors and drive behavioral modification following negative reinforcement

Reinforcement learning capitalizes on prediction errors (PEs), representing the deviation of received outcomes from expected outcomes. Mediofrontal event-related potentials (ERPs), in particular the feedback-related negativity (FRN)/reward positivity (RewP), are related to PE signaling, but there is disagreement as to whether the FRN/RewP encode signed or unsigned PEs. PE encoding can potentially be dissected by time-frequency analysis, as frontal theta [4–8 Hz] might represent poor outcomes, while central delta [1–3 Hz] might instead represent rewarding outcomes. However, cortical PE signaling in negative reinforcement is still poorly understood, and the role of cortical PE representations in behavioral reinforcement learning following negative reinforcement is relatively unexplored. We recorded EEG while participants completed a task with matched positive and negative reinforcement outcome modalities, with parametrically manipulated single-trial outcomes producing positive and negative PEs. We first demonstrated that PEs systematically influence future behavior in both positive and negative reinforcement conditions. In negative reinforcement conditions, mediofrontal ERPs positively signaled unsigned PEs in a time window encompassing the P2 potential, and negatively signaled signed PEs for a time window encompassing the FRN/RewP and frontal P3 (an “aversion positivity”). Central delta power increased parametrically with increasingly aversive outcomes, contributing to the “aversion positivity”. Finally, negative reinforcement ERPs correlated with RTs on the following trial, suggesting cortical PEs guide behavioral adaptations. Positive reinforcement PEs did not influence ERP or time-frequency activity, despite significant behavioral effects. These results demonstrate that mediofrontal PE signals are a mechanism underlying negative reinforcement learning, and that delta power increases for aversive outcomes might contribute to the “aversion positivity.”

Dopamine: The Neuromodulator of Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity, Reward and Movement Control.

Dopamine (DA) is a key neurotransmitter involved in multiple physiological functions including motor control, modulation of affective and emotional states, reward mechanisms, reinforcement of behavior, and selected higher cognitive functions. Dysfunction in dopaminergic transmission is recognized as a core alteration in several devastating neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and addiction. Here we will discuss the current insights on the role of DA in motor control and reward learning mechanisms and its involvement in the modulation of synaptic dynamics through different pathways. In particular, we will consider the role of DA as neuromodulator of two forms of synaptic plasticity, known as long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in several cortical and subcortical areas. Finally, we will delineate how the effect of DA on dendritic spines places this molecule at the interface between the motor and the cognitive systems. Specifically, we will be focusing on PD, vascular dementia, and schizophrenia.

Assessment of children's and caregivers' preferences for treatments for escape-maintained problem behavior.

This study assessed children's and caregivers' preferences for various arrangements of negative reinforcement, including differential negative reinforcement of an alternative behavior (DNRA), noncontingent escape (NCE), and escape extinction. In the first treatment comparison, the DNRA and NCE treatments similarly decreased problem behavior, but all 3 children preferred DNRA. By contrast, 3 of 4 caregivers preferred escape extinction, likely due to increased compliance in this condition. In a second treatment comparision with 1 child, a multiple schedule and then a chained schedule were introduced to increase the practically of the initial DNRA treatment. The child continued to prefer the treatment with contingent reinforcement in both comparisons, and his caregivers preferred the chained schedule. Results further support the selection of treatments that include contingent reinforcement, and the evaluation serves as a model for progressing through treatment options until child and caregiver preferences align.

Increasing passive compliance to wearing a facemask in children with autism spectrum disorder.

The current study taught 6 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to increase passive compliance of wearing a facemask across sequentially increasing durations of time. A changing‐criterion design embedded within a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a resetting differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) without escape extinction procedure on passive compliance. Terminal probe sessions determined DRO fading intervals. Results showed that 2 participants acquired mastery level passive compliance (30 min) without fading during the initial baseline sessions. The remaining 4 participants acquired mastery level passive compliance following fading intervals within the DRO intervention. Participants' passive compliance generalized across 2 novel settings. This study replicates previous studies and extends empirical support for the use of DRO without escape extinction interventions for increasing passive compliance with medical devices in children with ASD.

A comparison of brief and extended session duration functional analyses.

Many behavior analysts do not conduct a functional analysis (FA) prior to treatment in a clinical setting (e.g., Roscoe et al.,2015). When asked for an explanation, respondents commonly report that an FA is too time consuming. One way to address this perceived constraint is to evaluate the utility of an abbreviated FA with 5-min session durations. In the current study, 2 independent FAs, 1 with 5-min sessions and 1 with 10-min sessions, were conducted for the problem behavior of 5 individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For all participants, the 5- and 10-min session duration FAs yielded the same identified function of problem behavior: escape from demands. A brief differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) analysis was subsequently conducted and found to be effective at decreasing problem behavior and increasing an appropriate communication response across participants. These findings demonstrate the utility of conducting an FA using briefer session durations followed by a brief DRA analysis.

Identifying Patterns of Alcohol Use and Obesity-Related Factors Among Emerging Adults: A Behavioral Economic Analysis.

Although heavy alcohol consumption and maladaptive eating behaviors have been shown to co-occur among college students, less is known about the co-occurrence of these behaviors in a more diverse community-dwelling, emerging adult sample. The purpose of this study was to: (i) identify classes of emerging adults by their reported alcohol consumption patterns, food addiction symptoms, and body mass index; and (ii) determine whether these classes differed on indices of behavioral economic reinforcer pathology (e.g., environmental reward deprivation, impulsivity, alcohol demand). Emerging adult participants were recruited as part of a study on risky alcohol use (n=602; 47% white, 41.5% Black; mean age=22.63, SD=1.03). Participants completed questionnaires on alcohol and food-related risk factors and underwent anthropometric assessment. Latent profile analysis suggested a four-profile solution: a moderate alcohol severity, overweight profile (Profile 1; n=424, 70.4%), a moderate alcohol severity, moderate food addiction+obese profile (Profile 2; n=93, 15.4%), a high alcohol severity, high food addiction+obese profile (Profile 3; n=44, 7.3%), and a high alcohol severity, overweight profile (Profile 4; n=41, 6.8%). Individuals in Profile 1 reported significantly lower levels of environmental reward deprivation than either Profile 2 or 3, and participants in Profile 3 reported significantly higher environmental reward deprivation than those in Profile 4 (p<0.001). Profile 4 demonstrated significantly higher alcohol demand intensity and Omax and lower demand elasticity than Profile 1, Profile 2, or Profile 3. Profile 4 also demonstrated significantly greater proportionate substance-related reinforcement than Profile 1 (p<0.001) and Profile 2 (p=0.004). Maladaptive eating patterns and alcohol consumption may share common risk factors for reinforcer pathology including environmental reward deprivation, impulsivity, and elevated alcohol demand.

Noncontingent reinforcement: Arbitrary versus maintaining reinforcers for escape-maintained problem behavior.

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) involves the delivery of maintaining reinforcers on a time-dependent schedule and often includes extinction. However, arbitrary reinforcers may be equally efficacious during NCR without extinction for treating escape-maintained problem behavior. The purpose of this study was to extend previous research on NCR by evaluating the relative efficacy of NCR without extinction and comparing maintaining versus arbitrary reinforcers for 4 individuals with escape-maintained problem behavior. Two different NCR conditions, NCR using the maintaining reinforcer (escape) and NCR using an arbitrary reinforcer (an edible), were evaluated using multielement and reversal designs. Treatment effects varied across participants. Results for 2 participants showed a reduction in problem behavior during NCR without extinction with both the arbitrary and maintaining reinforcers. For 1 participant, results showed a reduction in problem behavior with both the arbitrary and maintaining reinforcers only when extinction was added to NCR. For the 4th participant, the maintaining reinforcer was effective during NCR without extinction, but the arbitrary reinforcer was ineffective.

44613 Plan for a Retrospective Evaluation of a Multi-Modal Weight-centric Prediabetes Intervention

ABSTRACT IMPACT: By demonstrating the feasibility of a multimodal, interdisciplinary intervention for prediabetes, the current project aims to provide a template for the prevention of diabetes and associate comorbid conditions. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To determine if a multi-modal, interdisciplinary intervention delivered to a group of prediabetic patients will result in reduced rates of diabetes progression. This project is a retrospective evaluation that will exam the feasibility and possibly efficacy of this intervention. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We will enroll 50 participants for the clinic, aged 21-60 inclusive. Patients will have a Body Mass Index &gt;27kg/m2 with a diagnosis of prediabetes. Patients must be non-pregnant, using approved contraception, and agree to not become pregnant for 1 year after enrollment. After enrollment, the initial treatment period is for 1 year and includes a 12 week low calorie diet plan, a 6-month intensive behavioral and lifestyle modification plan followed by a 6 month behavior reinforcement extension. Weight management medications may be used if appropriate for the patient from a clinical perspective during the 6-month intensive behavioral/lifestyle modification. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: It is anticipated that there will be decreased weight with a mean weight loss goal of approximately &gt;10%. Furthermore, it is expect that there will be improvement of other markers of metabolic disease. These include improvement of lipid values (LDL-C, HDL-C, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol) as well as blood pressure with expected blood pressures of below 130/80 in greater than 50% of participants. Finally, It is expected that 50% or greater participants will have improvement of glycemic control. It is anticipated that greater than 50% of participants will have improvement of glycemic control and achieve normoglycemia. These values will be determined based upon fasting glucose or A1c. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: The significance of this intervention is enormous. By demonstrating feasibility in this trial, we can work toward both assessing efficacy and possibly dissemination of this model program. If these interventions provide durable changes at scale, this could help slow the epidemic of obesity and obesity related comorbid conditions.

Self-Adaptive Traffic Control Model With Behavior Trees and Reinforcement Learning for AGV in Industry 4.0

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are considered as an enabling technology to realize smart manufacturing in the upcoming Industrial 4.0 era. However, several challenges including efficiency, timeliness, and safety still exist in AGVs system in discrete manufacturing shopfloor. To address these challenges, a self-adaptive traffic control model combining behavior trees (BTs) and reinforcement learning (RL) is proposed to implement optimal decisions according to diverse, dynamic and complex situations in Industry 4.0 environments. A cyber-physical systems using multiagent system technology is designed in which components such as AGVs and traffic commander are defined as specific agent that cooperates autonomously with each other. Then, the behavior construction model is constructed by BTs to enumerate all the possible states in AGVs traffic control. An RL model is further developed based on the BTs. By using this approach, in this article, AGVs have the ability to adaptively choose the optimal rule-based strategy from existing optional strategies. The case study of the scenario avoiding collisions at intersections illustrates that the proposed model can enhance self-adaptive capability of AGVs traffic control and simultaneously guarantees efficiency, timeliness, and safety.

Dynamic Cholinergic Tone in the Basal Forebrain Reflects Reward-Seeking and Reinforcement During Olfactory Behavior.

Sensory perception underlies how we internalize and interact with the external world. In order to adapt to changing circumstances and interpret signals in a variety of contexts, sensation needs to be reliable, but perception of sensory input needs to be flexible. An important mediator of this flexibility is top-down regulation from the cholinergic basal forebrain. Basal forebrain projection neurons serve as pacemakers and gatekeepers for downstream neural networks, modulating circuit activity across diverse neuronal populations. This top-down control is necessary for sensory cue detection, learning, and memory, and is disproportionately disrupted in neurodegenerative diseases associated with cognitive decline. Intriguingly, cholinergic signaling acts locally within the basal forebrain to sculpt the activity of basal forebrain output neurons. To determine how local cholinergic signaling impacts basal forebrain output pathways that participate in top-down regulation, we sought to define the dynamics of cholinergic signaling within the basal forebrain during motivated behavior and learning. Toward this, we utilized fiber photometry and the genetically encoded acetylcholine indicator GAChR2.0 to define temporal patterns of cholinergic signaling in the basal forebrain during olfactory-guided, motivated behaviors and learning. We show that cholinergic signaling reliably increased during reward seeking behaviors, but was strongly suppressed by reward delivery in a go/no-go olfactory-cued discrimination task. The observed transient reduction in cholinergic tone was mirrored by a suppression in basal forebrain GABAergic neuronal activity. Together, these findings suggest that cholinergic tone in the basal forebrain changes rapidly to reflect reward-seeking behavior and positive reinforcement and may impact downstream circuitry that modulates olfaction.

Clinical applications of a brief experimental analysis for problem behavior: Analysis of treatment effects and durability

AbstractThe brief experimental analysis (BEA) is an empirical method for comparing multiple academic interventions in a short amount of time and predicting intervention effects in subsequent extended evaluations. This study extended the BEA literature by evaluating its utility for identifying effective interventions for decreasing problem behavior and increasing compliance for two individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability who engaged in escape‐maintained problem behavior. Across individuals, four treatment arrangements were compared to a baseline‐control condition: noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) with food, NCR with toys, differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) with food, and DRO with toys. Using an alternating treatment embedded within a withdrawal design, conditions from the BEA associated with the lowest rates of problem behavior and the highest rates of adaptive behavior (i.e., compliance) were further evaluated during schedule thinning. For both individuals, the two most effective interventions from the BEA maintained effects during extended application and schedule thinning. These findings extend the utility of the BEA to identify durable interventions for decreasing problem behavior and increasing adaptive behavior.

Parent‐conducted rapid assessment of attention types for the treatment of attention‐maintained problem behavior

AbstractWhen praise is not a reinforcer for alternative behavior in the treatment of attention‐maintained problem behavior, further pretreatment assessments are warranted to develop an effective treatment. The current study reports a replication of the pretreatment rapid assessment of attention types (RAAT) procedures, implemented by the parents of a 19‐year‐old female with attention‐maintained problem behavior. After administering staff and parent‐conducted RAATs, a parent‐implemented treatment, (a) produced clinically significant decreases in problem behavior, and (b) confirmed that the RAAT identified an attention‐type that served as a reinforcer for appropriate alternative behavior. This study extends the findings of Strohmeier et al. by reporting results of a parent‐conducted RAAT and treatment evaluation. The findings highlight the practical importance of pretreatment assessment of attention‐types, with emphasis on caregiver involvement, to develop effective treatments for attention‐maintained problem behavior.