S: The Missing Discriminative Stimulus for Non-Punishment.

As the natural science of behavior evolves, the use of precise terminology is critical to maintain its conceptual and terminological integrity. The current state of terminology in stimulus control is well developed with respect to reinforcement and incomplete with respect to punishment. In this paper, we aim to make the case that the current conceptualization for discriminative stimulus control in relation to punishment would be enhanced by modifying the definition of the discriminative stimulus for punishment (S) and by adding a new term to the current taxonomy that denotes when a punishment contingency is inactive.

Preliminary side effect profile, safety, and tolerability of hormonal contraception among women receiving opioid-agonist therapy.

Objective(s): To characterize for the first time the side effect profile, safety, and tolerability of hormonal contraception among women receiving opioid-agonist therapy.

Study Design: We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected from participants in a three-arm randomized controlled trial (N = 138) aimed at increasing effective contraceptive use among women receiving opioid-agonist therapy. Participants in the 2 intervention conditions (n = 90) had free access to hormonal contraception at each of the 14 visits scheduled during the 6-month intervention.

Efficacy and Cost-Benefit of Onsite Contraceptive Services With and Without Incentives Among Women With Opioid Use Disorder at High Risk for Unintended Pregnancy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Rates of in utero opioid exposure continue to increase in the US. Nearly all of these pregnancies are unintended but there has been little intervention research addressing this growing and costly public health problem.

Objective: To test the efficacy and cost-benefit of onsite contraceptive services with and without incentives to increase prescription contraceptive use among women with opioid use disorder (OUD) at high risk for unintended pregnancy compared with usual care.

Contraceptive Knowledge among Females and Males Receiving Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Compared to Those Seeking Primary Care.

Rates of unintended pregnancy among women receiving medication treatment for opioid use disorder (mOUD) are high, likely due in part to low rates of contraceptive use. Lack of knowledge about contraception may be contributing to inadequate contraceptive use. To compare contraceptive knowledge among women and men receiving mOUD relative to a comparison group seeking primary care.

Adventitious reinforcement during long-duration DRO exposure.

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is a procedure often used to decrease problem behavior, but the processes responsible for behavior reduction are not well understood. This study assessed whether adventitious reinforcement of other behavior contributes to DRO effectiveness when, relative to previous research, DRO exposure is prolonged. Two response options were presented on a computer and target responding was reinforced on a variable-ratio schedule.

Perceptions of long-acting reversible contraception among women receiving medication for opioid use disorder in Vermont.

Objectives: To evaluate perceptions of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) among women receiving medication for opioid use disorder.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey of 200 women receiving medication for opioid use disorder in Vermont.

Results: A considerable proportion of women receiving medication for opioid use disorder in Vermont reported previous use of an IUD (40%) and/or a subdermal contraceptive implant (16%); the majority of prior LARC users were satisfied with their IUD (68%) or their implant (74%).

Stigma, Discrimination, Treatment Effectiveness, and Policy Support: Comparing Behavior Analysts' Views on Drug Addiction and Mental Illness.

Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) often face discrimination. A recent study found that people in the general population hold significantly more negative views toward persons with drug addiction than those with other mental illnesses (Barry et al. in (10), 1269-1272, 2014).

The role of adventitious reinforcement during differential reinforcement of other behavior: A systematic replication.

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is commonly used to decrease problem behavior by presenting reinforcers contingent upon the absence of a target response. Although it is well demonstrated that DROs decrease response rates, the processes producing these decreases are not well understood. The present study systematically replicated previous research assessing whether adventitious reinforcement of alternative behavior contributes to the effectiveness of DRO.

Unexpected food outcomes can return a habit to goal-directed action.

Three experiments examined the return of a habitual instrumental response to the status of goal-directed action. In all experiments, rats received extensive training in which lever pressing was reinforced with food pellets on a random-interval schedule of reinforcement. In Experiment 1, the extensively-trained response was not affected by conditioning a taste aversion to the reinforcer, and was therefore considered a habit.

The Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Social Impact of Repetitive Behavior Scale in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Introduction: Current measures of restrictive and repetitive behavior (RRB) in people with autism focus on severity and intensity and, to some degree, the global interference of the behavior. In this study we developed the Social Impact of Repetitive Behavior Scale (SIRBS) to capture several different contexts in which repetitive behavior is likely to occur and interfere.

Methods: SIRBS items were selected through reviewing the RRB literature, participant chart reviews, and consensus among authors, followed by an initial piloting and further refinement of the tool.

Relapse of operant behavior after response elimination with an extinction or an omission contingency.

The present study compared relapse after responding was eliminated by extinction or omission training in rats. In Experiment 1, lever pressing was reinforced with food pellets in Context A and then eliminated with either extinction or omission training in Context B. The response was then tested in Contexts A and B in either the presence or absence of free food pellets delivered on a random time schedule.

Innovative approaches to reduce unintended pregnancy and improve access to contraception among women who use opioids.

Dramatic increases in the rate of opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy have been paralleled by substantial increases in the number of neonates diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Women with OUD have reliably reported high rates of unintended pregnancy and a number of studies also indicate they desire easier access to contraception. Recent statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics/American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have drawn increased attention to efforts to prevent unintended pregnancy and improve access to contraception among women with OUD.

A translational analysis of ABA and ABC renewal of operant behavior.

Following reduction, behavior may recur when organisms are exposed to new or different environments. Such recurrences, called treatment relapse, are characterized by an increase of a previously reduced behavior. Renewal is a type of treatment relapse resulting from changes in stimulus contexts despite the ongoing maintenance of treatment.