Applying Techniques From Precision Medicine to Predict Challenging Behavior and Inform Clinical Resource Allocation.

The identification of behavioral markers that predict the trajectory of behavior could guide the allocation of limited clinical resources to improve efficacy, efficiency, and safety. As a preliminary exploration of this possibility, we conducted a retrospective records review of incident reports for aggression displayed by residents at a secure juvenile detention center. Our purpose was to evaluate latency to first aggression as a candidate behavioral marker for predicting subsequent high-rate aggression.

Evaluating feedback frequency preference and its relation to task performance.

Many researchers have evaluated how characteristics of feedback may influence trainee performance, but relatively little attention has been allocated to directly assessing trainee preference for feedback characteristics and its relation to performance. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to use a within-subject experimental design to directly assess trainee preference for the frequency of feedback and its relation to task performance. A secondary objective was to evaluate how trainee preferences varied across specific task components based on component complexity.

On the Identification and Use of Social versus Nonsocial Reinforcers: A Review of Research Practices.

Unlabelled: Recent research has developed efficacious methods for identifying individualized social reinforcers and utilizing social reinforcers may be beneficial for several reasons. However, the relative likelihood of utilizing social versus nonsocial reinforcers in behavior-analytic research remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate how likely behavior analysts are to employ social versus nonsocial reinforcers in the context of research.

Pragmatic Application of Risk Ratios in Behavior Analysis.

Joslyn and Morris (2024) recently published a tutorial on adapting and applying risk ratios to within-subject behavioral data. Newland (2024; this issue) offers a commentary on Joslyn and Morris that expands the discussion of risk ratios and how they are typically applied in group comparison research. He is also critical of the approach described by Joslyn and Morris, and advocates against its use primarily because it differs from the traditional calculation.

Using Risk Ratios to Quantify Potential Behavior-Environment Relations.

Behavior-environment functional relations are the units of explanation in applied behavior analysis (ABA). Whether hypothesized experimentally or descriptively, quantification of putative functional relations improves our ability to predict and influence behavior. Risk ratios are an accessible, straightforward quantitative analysis that can serve this purpose.

A Continuum of Methods for Assessing Preference for Conversation Topics.

Among individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), conversation topic preference could influence social skills in many ways. For example, an individual with advanced vocal-verbal skills, but just learning to join a conversation, might be less inclined to participate if the topic chosen is not preferred. However, commonly used preference assessment procedures have not been applied to evaluating conversation-topic preferences.

Secondary and within-session analyses to improve the feasibility and precision of assessments of sociability.

Previous research has improved the feasibility and precision of assessments of sociability, but further progress is warranted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate secondary measures and within-session analyses to further improve the feasibility and precision of assessments of sociability. We reanalyzed previously published assessment results to evaluate whether initial and conditional (i.

A Survey of Why and How Clinicians Change Reinforcers during Teaching Sessions.

Unlabelled: Preference assessments are used to make data-based decisions about which stimuli to use as reinforcers but they can be challenging to conduct frequently enough to avoid problems related to momentary shifts in preference and reinforcer efficacy. It remains unclear whether, why, and how clinicians change reinforcers on a momentary basis. Therefore, this study aimed to determine common reasons for, and methods of, changing reinforcers in practice.

A review of methods of assessing preference for social stimuli.

Research on preference and reinforcer assessments has historically focused on the evaluation of edible and leisure reinforcers, but the identification and use of individualized social reinforcers may be beneficial for several reasons. Recently, many studies have evaluated methods of assessing preference for social stimuli. The procedures and outcomes across these studies have varied greatly, and the current state of evidence for methods of assessing preference for social stimuli remains unclear.

Applying the evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics to model the subtypes of automatically reinforced self-injurious behavior.

The delineation of the subtypes of automatically reinforced self-injurious behavior improved the utility of functional analysis results in predicting treatment efficacy. However, the mechanisms underlying subtype differences remain unclear and difficult to study in clinical populations. Morris and McDowell (2021) attempted to elucidate subtype differences by developing and evaluating models of the subtypes within the evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics.

An evaluation of methods for studying the effects of conditioned reinforcement on human choice.

Shahan et al. (2006) found that the relative rate of pigeons' pecking on two observing responses (i.e.

A systematic review of the correspondence between descriptive assessment and functional analysis.

Clinicians report that they often rely on descriptive assessments when developing behavior-reduction plans despite literature suggesting that functional analysis is the most rigorous assessment method. Further, research comparing the outcomes of descriptive assessments and functional analyses is mixed, with some studies showing low correspondence and others showing high correspondence. Such persistent use of descriptive assessments suggests that they may yield useful information despite inconsistent correspondence with functional analyses.

The matching law provides a quantitative description of social time allocation in children with autism.

Recent research has developed and evaluated assessments of sociability in which time allocation near or away from an adult who initiates social interactions is used to characterize the participant as social, indifferent, or avoidant of social interaction. Though these qualitative outcomes have been useful, no studies have evaluated methods of obtaining more quantitative measures of sociability. The matching law has been demonstrated to describe a wide range of human behavior and may also be useful in describing social time allocation.

Increasing social time allocation and concomitant effects on mands, item engagement, and rigid or repetitive behavior.

Recent research has developed methods of assessing the function of generic, nonindividualized social interactions. The purpose of this type of assessment is to provide a measure of how an individual may respond to the types of interactions readily available in the natural environment. To date, no research has evaluated how the social time allocation of individuals for whom generic interactions are neutral or aversive could be improved.

Modeling Subtypes of Automatically Reinforced Self-Injurious Behavior with the Evolutionary Theory of Behavior Dynamics.

The subtypes of automatically reinforced self-injurious behavior (ASIB) delineated by Hagopian and colleagues (Hagopian et al., 2015; 2017) demonstrated how functional-analysis (FA) outcomes may predict the efficacy of various treatments. However, the mechanisms underlying the different patterns of responding obtained during FAs and corresponding differences in treatment efficacy have remained unclear.

Evaluating the function of social interaction for children with autism.

Several researchers have assessed whether or not social interaction is reinforcing; however, few studies have evaluated methods of assessing whether social interactions function as reinforcing, neutral, or aversive stimuli. We extend this research by evaluating a new method of assessing the function of social interaction. Twenty-one children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) participated.

Evaluating bowel movements, self-initiations, and problem behavior with the emergence of urinary continence.

Much of the research evaluating toilet training interventions for children with ASD has focused on urinations as the primary dependent variable. As a result, the effects that toilet training interventions targeting urinations may have on other related dependent variables remains unclear. We conducted a retrospective analysis of data obtained by Perez et al.

Comparing the results of one-session, two-session, and three-session MSWO preference assessments.

The multiple-stimulus-without-replacement (MSWO) preference assessment is commonly used in behavior-analytic research and practice. As originally published, the MSWO included 5 sessions in an effort to confirm stimulus preferences. Subsequent researchers have evaluated the validity of MSWO outcomes when the assessment is abbreviated.

Identifying the relation between feedback preferences and performance.

Performance feedback is a common organizational behavior management intervention (Gravina et al., 2018) that typically yields consistent effects when combined with other procedures (Alvero et al., 2001).

Evaluating skills correlated with discriminated responding in multiple schedule arrangements.

One potential solution for excessively high-rate functional communication responses (FCR) is to establish stimulus control of the FCR through a multiple schedule. However, several studies have demonstrated difficulty with establishing discriminated responding across multiple schedule components. The primary aim of the current study was to evaluate how participants' skills related to color discrimination may be related to the emergence of discriminated responding in a multiple schedule with colors as the schedule-correlated stimuli.

Evaluating the function of social interaction using time allocation as a dependent measure: A replication and extension.

Call et al. (2013) described a method of assessing the function of social interactions that used time allocation as a dependent measure. The current study replicated the method described by Call et al.

A comparison of methods for assessing preference for social interactions.

Researchers have evaluated a variety of methods for assessing preference for social interactions, and generally have found that such assessments accurately identify differentially reinforcing, preferred interactions. However, few researchers have compared methods for assessing preference for social interactions, and none have done so with participants across different skill levels. The current study compared the stability and validity of hierarchies produced by social interaction preference assessments (SIPA) and picture-based multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessments (MSWO) with 8 individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

A comparison of picture and GIF-based preference assessments for social interaction.

Researchers have recently begun to evaluate video-based preference assessments; however, only two studies have evaluated the efficacy of this preference assessment modality in assessing preference for social interactions. Four individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who could not match pictures or graphic-interchange-format images (GIFs) of social interactions to in vivo interaction participated. We compared picture and GIF-based paired-stimulus preference assessments for social interaction and evaluated the preference assessment hierarchies by conducting a concurrent-operant reinforcer assessment including all social interactions.

Evaluating the stability, validity, and utility of hierarchies produced by the Social Interaction Preference Assessment.

Morris and Vollmer (2020) evaluated a novel method of assessing preference for social interaction, which they called the Social Interaction Preference Assessment (SIPA), and found it often produced hierarchies similar to a concurrent operant reinforcer assessment. We replicated and extended these findings. In study 1, we evaluated the stability of the SIPA hierarchies by conducting multiple SIPAs with 5 participants diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Assessing preference for types of social interaction.

To date, few researchers have evaluated methods for assessing preference for social interactions. Due to concerns that commonly used stimulus preference assessment methods may be inappropriate, or at least cumbersome, for the assessment of social reinforcers, we developed and evaluated a new method of assessing preference for social interactions. A social interaction preference assessment (SIPA) and a concurrent operant reinforcer assessment were conducted with five participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.